Kerala - Kochi   

Fair compensation sought for Vallarpadam evictees

KOCHI: The State government should ensure transparency in the acquisition of land for road and rail connectivity for the Vallarpadam container transhipment project, K.V. Thomas, MLA, has demanded.

Addressing mediapersons here on Monday, Prof. Thomas said the decisions taken last week at a meeting in Kochi chaired by Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran were shrouded in secrecy.

“Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan should abide by his promise of giving fair compensation to the evictees. The United Democratic Front government had promised decent cash compensation, job for a family member and help in relocating to a new house.”

The UDF government had also promised a comprehensive development plan for the Vaduthala region, including speedy construction of the proposed elevated round-about at Pachalam. “The government has not yet made it clear how the evictees would be compensated. It is now threatening to forcibly evict people.

This is wholly anti-democratic and unilateral. People’s representatives from the district and myself were a party to the agreement which had fixed the present (sixth) alignment as the final one.”

Sadly, many of them are toeing a different line now, delaying land acquisition. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has difference of opinion with its coalition partners on the issue and this will affect the deadline of 2009 fixed for completing road and rail connectivity for the container project.

People have to be taken into confidence before making them surrender their land, he said.

Prof. Thomas added that the Edapally-Walayar stretch of the national highway should be widened to accommodate the manifold increase in lorry traffic once Vallarpadam and other development projects kicked off in Kochi.

“Most other States had accepted upkeep and widening of roads under the build-operate-transfer scheme, and so have quality roads. The Kerala Government should make its stand clear on the issue,” he said.

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