Latest news with #OuterRingRoad
New Indian Express
12-07-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Kerala to submit Outer Ring Road project to Centre for environmental clearance
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A high-level meeting convened by the principal secretary to the chief minister with officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), district administration, and revenue department ended without a clear decision on the timeline for disbursing compensation to landowners who gave up their land for the Outer Ring Road (ORR) project. Official sources told TNIE that the state government will submit the project for environmental clearance from the Union government this week. 'Compensation can only be released once the Centre approves the project. The state will be submitting the proposal for environmental clearance by tomorrow. We hope there will not be any further delay in getting the approval from the project. But we don't know when this will happen,' said an official source. With no decision or clarity on the disbursal of compensation, the land owners are on a warpath. The representatives of the action council are planning to meet the district collector on Friday.
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Crucial meeting on Outer Ring Road to discuss compensation disbursal
Thiruvananthapuram : State govt is poised to take a decisive step on Thursday regarding the much-awaited Outer Ring Road (ORR) project from Vizhinjam to Navaikulam at a high-level meeting convened by chief minister's chief principal secretary K M Abraham. It will be attended by representatives from National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), PWD and revenue department. They will discuss pending compensation for hundreds of landowners whose title deeds remain held at revenue offices. Sources said the meeting was to ensure the timely dispensation of compensation to affected landowners. The meeting will also focus on the cost-sharing between state and the Centre, which currently remains at 50-50. Landowners, represented by action council member S Chandramohan Nair, met with NHAI's regional officer A K Janbaz on Monday to voice their growing concerns. "It has been three years and govt should return our title deeds or immediately give us the compensation," Nair said. He warned of an indefinite hunger strike if matters were not resolved soon. "People gave up their land for this project in good faith and development cannot come at the cost of people's basic rights," he added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Festival del Cinema di Venezia: attenzione puntata sui registi emergenti Punto di Vista Media S.r.l. Scopri di più Undo In May this year, landowners staged a sit-in at NHAI's Chackai office, following which NHAI regional officer B L Meena assured them in writing that compensation would be paid within a month or the project would be cancelled. Yet, disbursements remain stalled, even though district administration transferred Rs 700 crore to NHAI in Jan. Complicating the situation, a Supreme Court ruling on May 16 struck down a 2017 notification permitting post-facto environmental clearances, stalling the northern segment between Thekkada and Navaikulam as the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) committee lapsed in March. While the southern stretch from Vizhinjam to Thekkada received clearance in 2023, the northern section's progress is legally frozen until new clearance procedures are in place. Meanwhile, a senior PWD official said that "After meeting with minister Riyas and Union Minister Gadkari, the Centre was likely to give final approval to the detailed project report by the end of July." The official added that compensation and tendering could begin in Aug.
New Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Landowners to launch indefinite hunger strike in Thiruvananthapuram
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The land owners who handed over their property to facilitate the long-pending Outer Ring Road (ORR) project are on a warpath and are gearing up to launch an indefinite hunger strike in front of the office of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) at Enchakkal. On Monday, the representatives of the action council formed by the land owners met the regional officer, NHAI, to discuss the delay in the disbursal of compensation for the land acquired for the Outer Ring Road. Around 314 hectares of land spread across 24 villages are being acquired to facilitate the project. 3D notifications for 11 villages have been issued already and the notifications for the rest of the villages are yet to come out. 'It has been three years and the government should return our title deeds or immediately give us the compensation. Both the state and the centre have been lying and cheating us for many years now and we have decided to launch an indefinite hunger strike from August 1,' said Chandramohan Nair, convenor of the action council.
New Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Land acquisition cost doubles, fund crunch hits ORR project amid delays
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The long-pending Outer Ring Road (ORR) project in Thiruvananthapuram connecting Vizhinjam to Navaikulam via Thekkada is facing major financial and administrative impasse as the cost of land acquisition has doubled from Rs 1,800 crore to Rs 3,800 crore. According to official sources, this estimate is valid till August and if the government fails to initiate the procedures to disburse the funds to the land owners by then, the cost will further escalate. As per the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Act, beneficiaries are entitled to 12 per cent annual interest on delayed payments, calculated from the date of land possession to the date of actual compensation. Initially, the estimate for land acquisition stood at around Rs 1,800 crore with the state and Centre chipping in 50 per cent, each. The project, which requires 314 hectares of land across 24 villages, has been stuck for over three years with the land owners clamouring for compensation. The recent estimates show that the cost of land acquisition has escalated more than 100 per cent, severely impacting the project. According to official sources, the land acquisition procedures took off around three years ago and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has given the revised estimates for the land acquisition as per the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Act recently. 'The estimates will continue to multiply if the project doesn't take off immediately,' said an official source. Last month, after the meeting with the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, PWD Minister P A Mohammad Riyas had announced that the Centre would give the final approval for the ORR project by July end. An official of the district administration said that after the meeting a team from the Centre came down to assess the situation.
United News of India
22-06-2025
- Business
- United News of India
Telangana Dy CM emphasizes boosting non-tax revenue
Hyderabad, June 22 (UN) Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who chairs the Infrastructure and Capital Sub-Committee, directed officials to give focused attention to increasing the state's non-tax revenue and optimising budgetary allocations. He made these remarks during a high-level review meeting held at the Dr B R Ambedkar Secretariat, attended by Ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy, Komatireddy Venkata Reddy, and senior officials. During the meeting, the Deputy CM emphasised that new welfare schemes worth Rs 33,600 crore are being implemented without halting existing schemes of the previous government. However, he pointed out that no revenue was received from Outer Ring Road or Excise during the 2023–24 financial year, highlighting the need to explore alternate revenue channels, especially non-tax sources and central funds. He instructed officials to rationalize departmental budgets, ensuring equitable distribution of funds. "Some departments are receiving more funds than needed, while others are underfunded. This imbalance must be corrected, and allocations should reflect actual needs and priorities," he stated. Bhatti Vikramarka also ordered the immediate completion of pending major infrastructure projects across all constituencies, stressing that rationalization and the completion of spillover works must be finalised within ten days. He underlined that revenue-generating sectors need special focus, and that all expenditures must be realistic, logical, and need-based. Calling on all departments to work with a public welfare mindset, the Deputy CM said that only balanced departmental development will ensure comprehensive growth for the state. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Ramakrishna Rao, Finance Principal Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania, and senior officials from various departments, an official statement said on Sunday. UNI VV GNK
