Give forest land for road diversion: National Highway Authority

KARWAR: Senior officials of

National Highway Authority

(NHAI) of India on Friday visited Arga village in Karwar taluk to explore the possibility having a diversion of the stretch of the National Highway-66 between Amadalli and Arga villages. Later the officials said that they would consider the demand for a diversion if the forest department hands over a land in the area as suggested by the villagers for the realignment of the highway.

People of both villages have been urging NHAI to divert the road to avoid demolition of houses and commercial complexes along the existing stretch of the highway. The NHAI has been upgrading the highway into a four-lane and marked several buildings for demolition for the purpose.

Satish Sail, Karwar MLA, had requested the

NHAI officials

to visit Karwar to find an

alternative land

behind the INS Patanjali Hospital near INS Kadamba base in Karwar to construct a new road instead of expanding the existing stretch of the highway. Accordingly, YN Prasad, general manager, NHAI and his team inspected the new land on Friday. Later at a meeting held at DC’s office, Sail informed the officials that around 400 houses including a few commercial complexes between Amadalli and Arga villages will have to be demolished if the authorities want to expand the existing stretch of the highway. Of the 400 buildings facing the threat of demolition, 200 houses belong to the evacuees of Seabird project. The families which had sacrificed their land and houses for Seabird project have settled down in the area and within 20 year span, these families have to sacrifice their houses and land for the second time for another national project, he said. Moreover, the present highway passes in front of the INS Kadamba naval base which may pose security threats in the future. So the alignment of the present road be changed and it should be shifted behind the INS Patanjali Hospital Sail said.

The NHAI officials said that the NH expansion project is a national project and it cannot be changed at their level. They said that the work had commenced almost 3 years ago and now the change in alignment of the NH is raised. The new land proposed by the MLA is a forest land and if the government hands over this land within 6 months to NHAI then the request can be considered. The NHAI officials later promised that they would consider the demand of the local people.

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