Technopark officials are exploring the possibility of acquiring land from residents staying in the flood-prone areas around the Phase 3 campus near Kulathoor.
Some of the residents have been raising the demand for a land swap agreement for quite some time, owing to frequent flooding in their plots.
An understanding regarding land acquisition was arrived at a recent meeting between the residents and Technopark officials in the presence of Kadakampally Surendran, MLA, city Corporation councillor Medayil Vikaraman and revenue officials.
The land in question, located adjacent to the phase 3 campus, stretches to around 1.5 acres in area, and is owned by 15 different people, with some of them staying here in their own houses and some others owning a piece of land. According to Technopark sources, though a broad agreement was reached at the meeting regarding land acquisition, a final decision regarding this has to be taken by the State government.
“Even if the Technopark wants to acquire this land with its own funds, it can be done only after the government accords administrative sanction. We also have to see whether all of the 15 people who own the land there would agree to a land swap, as not all of them were present at the meeting. The Technopark is ready to acquire this land as we want to carry out development with consideration for the concerns of our neighbours,” said the source.
According to councillor Medayil Vikaraman, who was part of the meeting, it has been agreed to provide alternate land for the residents in these areas.
“These plots were earlier considered for land acquisition before the development of Phase 3, but it could not happen due to a dispute regarding compensation. Due to water-logging, some of the families have been protesting inside the Phase 3 campus for about a week recently, following which the talks were held. Now, the plan is to identify alternate land for them and also provide aid for them to construct houses,” said Mr.Vikraman.
At Vedanvilakam and surrounding areas in Kulathoor, situated just outside the compound walls of the Technopark Phase 3 campus, the residents have been for the past few years facing the twin challenges of drinking water scarcity and flooding. Separating the locality from the Technopark campus walls is the Thettiyar canal, which drains into the Akkulam Lake. The canal, which once carried crystal-clear water, is now filled with waste.
The flow of the canal has been affected at several areas due to encroachments and accumulation of waste, leading to frequent flooding.
