Bantwal: Road widening plan may gobble up Mani, Kalladka towns

Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Netowrk – Bantwal (SP)

Bantwal, Jun 27: Some long-established towns and villages will lose their very existence if the widening plan of national highway 75 drafted by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is executed in toto. If the plan of land acquisition progresses as per the plan envisaged, Melkar, Kalladka, and Mani towns will cease to exist.

For converting Mangalore-Bangalore national highway 75 into four-lane road between Hassan and B C Road, NHAI had entrusted the job of preparing a sketch through a private concern. As per the final sketch, hundreds of houses, thousands of trees, hundreds of acres of agricultural land, commercial centres, and commercial hubs of some villages will see themselves being consigned to the realms of history.

Plan for the widening of 128 km stretch of national highway between Hassan and B C Road had been conceived long back, and the plan had been prepared several years ago. It is in final stages of implementation now. The NHAI, which has completed first phase of survey work, has already taken up the task of land acquisition between Hassan and Sakleshpur. The road will be widened as it is, and the sketch clearly shows the houses and other buildings which will be razed to pave way for highway widening. As per the plan, a total of 45 metres of land, at the rate of 22.5 metres on each side, will be acquired.

The authority has already served notices on the owners of private lands, residential houses, and buildings, on the basis of the survey. It has also called for objections and held sessions to sort out them. As per the survey in Bantwal taluk, the very appearance of Melkar town will undergo major change as several landmark buildings will face the axe. Bus stand, most of the shops, buildings and houses in Kalladka Kelagina Pete may be razed to the ground. It is said that Mani town will become extinct because of the highway widening plan. The buildings in Mani which are facing the prospect of demolition are school, shops, market building, and the old gram panchayat office building.

Through a notification and notices issued on March 27 this year, NHAI had asked the owners of buildings to file objections if any within 21 days. Those who objected to the plan were asked to come to Hassan, where their petitions were received and endorsements were issued that these petitions are under consideration.

The people of the area are frightened at the prospect of losing their bases, because of the initiatives undertaken by the authority. Although owners of the land get compensation, the people do not have too much hopes on the quantum of compensation. Most of them are putting in efforts to retain their land and buildings.

NHAI will be completing the formality of valuation of houses, buildings, and agricultural land proposed to be acquired, by conducting a fresh survey within a couple of months, it is learnt. This plan is sure to give rise to a community of highway project affected people. Although widening of the highway looks beneficial in the long run, it poses lot of problems and losses to people in the short run.

Tahsildar (land acquisition) of NHAI, Hassan, confirmed that highway will be widened between Hassan and B C Road, and that survey has been completed. He added that land acquisition process is on between Hassan and Sakleshpur. “Land acquisition process up to B C Road will be finalized within a year from now, after which, works will begin on national highway widening project,” he clarified.