Nine houses may have to be demolished for Pavangad-Ulliyeri road development, says study

A social impact assessment submitted to the District Collector recently points out that at least 20 houses and over 300 establishments will be affected as part of the land acquisition for the development of Pavangad-Ulliyeri road.

The 17.192-kilometre road that connects Pavangad with Ullyeri through Purakkattiri and Atholi is part of the National Highway 38 (Pavangad-Ulliyeri-Kuttyadi-Chovva road) and the state government has already sanctioned ₹82.36 crore for its development. The plan is to develop the road into a 14-metre wide two-lane road.

Based on the study conducted by V.K.Consultancy, Thikkodi, 5.251 hectares of land needs to be acquired. The road is at present quite narrow in the town areas of Atholi and Andikkode and has several dangerous curves.

The plan is to acquire land from 1,107 owners, of which 53 are religious institutions. At least nine houses will have to be demolished completely, while 11 have to be partially demolished. At least 96 commercial establishments will be directly affected, while another 210 will be partially affected. As many as 390 vendors and around 116 employees work in these establishments.

The development will also require the widening of the bridges at Purakkattiri and Eranhikkal as they are too narrow (8 m). The report suggests building footpaths or cycle tracks parallel to the existing bridges to avoid mishaps when the vehicles enter and exit the bridge.

The State Highway 38 is 43.20 kilometres long. The second reach of it, from Ulliyeri to Kuttiadi, will be developed in the second phase of the project undertaken by the Kerala Road Fund Board.