Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Nov 5: The concreting and widening work on National Highway 75 between the city and Bengaluru between B C Road and Addahole has been facing one or the other problem for the last some years. Non-cooperation on the part of the special land acquisition officer of Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board at Hassan has been hurting the tender process now.

The re-tender for the work worth Rs 1,600 crore was to be held a few months back. But the fact that the above office has been employing delaying tactics has been causing a problem. Non-cooperation of the special land acquisition officer Hassan since the last eight years has been one of the major problems encountered in finishing this project, say officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Senior officials of the National Highways Authority of India regional office have given the deadline of November 5 to the above officer for issuing a notification. They have asked the official to publish the land acquisition award as per the National Highway Act 1956. As soon as the final compensation order is issued, the tender process gains momentum and the work is expected to be completed by the year-end.

The project was transferred from the jurisdiction of Hassan National Highways Authority of India to Mangaluru office but the land acquisition process is still in the hands of Hassan division.

The proposal for tender sent by Mangaluru office of NHAI had sent a proposal for a second time tender for the work and the surface transport ministry has given an in-principle nod. But because of the condition that tender cannot be floated without the land acquisition being completed, there is a delay. Now the land acquisition office is being pressurized.

For the project, 189 hectares of land in 17 villages were acquired. But because of some mistakes which happened during the documentation, repeated revisions are occurring. Because of the huge landslide which happened when L&T was executing the work two-years back due to heavy rain, additional land had to be acquired for slope protection works on both sides of the highway. The notifications are lapsing as there is a condition that notification for land acquisitions to be issued within a year.

As per the revised project, a six-lane flyover and four underpasses will be built at Kalladka. New bridges have to be built at Panemangaluru and Uppinangady across River Netravati. Part of the works conducted there by L&T will be continued.

Shishi Mohan project director, NHAI, says that the delay on the part of Hassan land acquisition officer has been brought to the notice of the deputy commissioner and that he has assured to solve the problem. Once this is done, the tender process will gain speed, he added.