High Court okays NH widening to 45 metres

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the National Highway Authority of India to immediately take steps for widening and development of NH 17 and NH 47 with a width of 45 metres. The widening will be carried out through BOT method. With this order, the authorities can acquire the land for the widening work.A Division Bench comprising acting Chief Justice C N Ramachandran Nair and Justice P S Gopinathan issued the order while considering a petition by Sunny Mathew Palkattukunnel challenging the govt order. Additional Advocate-General K A Jaleel submitted that the state has decided to withdraw a government order directing the district collectors to keep in abeyance all further proceedings related to land acquisition for widening of highways. The court recorded the submission and disposed of further proceedings in the petition.  ‘’The LDF Govt, consequent to the decision taken at an all-party meeting on April 2010, kept in abeyance all land acquisition activities in connection with the development of National Highways. Later, an all-party meeting on August 17 arrived at a consensus and decided to widen the National Highways with a width of 45 metres under BOT. The state directed the authorities to go ahead with the land acquisition for NH 17 and 47 with a width of 45 metres,’’ the petitioner pointed out.    However, on November 2010, the state decided to keep the land acquisition work in abeyance until the rehabilitation package submitted by the state was sanctioned by the Central Govt.