The land acquisition process for the four-lane expansion of National Highway 169, which will connect Bikarnakatte in Mangaluru to Sanur village in Karkala via Moodbidri, is currently in progress. The government has disbursed a compensation amount of Rs 585 crore to around 1,534 applicants. The land acquisition process is nearly complete in 19 villages, with the exception of Padavu village, which remains under litigation.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has finalized the 3D process and released a total of Rs 744 crore in compensation. Although a stay order by the Karnataka High Court previously restricted compensation payments for certain villages, including Kudupu, Thiruvail, and others, the restriction only applied to petitioners’ lands. With the removal of the stay on non-petitioner properties, compensation has now been distributed to eligible landowners.
Landowners are applying for compensation at the NHAI special land acquisition officer’s office, where their documents are verified, and the payment is transferred directly to their bank accounts via RTGS. While some landowners initially rejected compensation due to concerns over valuation, most have now accepted the payments. A few have filed appeals with the district commissioner’s court seeking a higher settlement.
The 45-km Mangaluru-Karkala highway project, a long-awaited initiative, is being executed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,137 crore by Dilip Buildcon Ltd. It will require 222.11 hectares of land, including government and existing highway land, with the remainder being acquired from private owners.
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