Highway authority projects hit road block in Kerala, Goa, Bengal

States go slow in acquiring land even as NHAI increases pace of awarding projects

Mihir Mishra / New Delhi Mar 11, 2012, 00:26 IST The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) might have increased the pace of project award, but land acquisition problems in West Bengal, Kerala and Goa might hamper actual road construction. According to data compiled by NHAI, for the 286 projects under implementation at various stages (including in the award stage), the highways authority has acquired 71.46 per cent of land. “The problem in Kerala and Goa concerns the people living near the highways. In both the states, we had to decrease the width of the two-lane highways with paved shoulders from 60 metres to 45 metres due to protests,” said a senior NHAI official requesting anonymity. In the case of West Bengal, the state government, which is supposed to acquire the land, is going slow on it. According to the official, six projects in West Bengal, four in Kerala and three in Goa are stuck because of land acquisition problems. “Overall though, we have acquired land for various projects that are still under award stage,” the official said. 9 May 2012 Business Standard.