Kasaragod: Despite 90% of the transfer procedures being completed for land acquired for the Industrial Smart City project, a component of the Kochi-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor, the overall land acquisition process for parcels notified four years ago remains mired in uncertainty.

The delays pertain to the acquisition of 240 acres of land, including areas in Valiyasala and Thazhassery, within Block Number 30 of Pudussery West Village. The hurdles stem from this land being included outside the project's original Detailed Project Report (DPR), compounded by alleged machinations by a few individuals targeting landowner-farmers.

Conversely, many small farmers possess less land than recorded in their documents. Delays in fund disbursement and disputes in certain areas have further stalled the process. The first notification under the Alignment Act was issued on November 21, 2021. A second notification followed on August 18, 2022. Following this, the Land Acquisition Cell was tasked with completing the acquisition and formally handing over the land, along with proving all due procedures, to Kinfra.

However, subsequent actions were delayed. This led to prolonged delays in both land acquisition and compensation disbursement. A majority of the affected landowners are over 60 years of age. The farmers' protest committee announced that they would launch an agitation unless the land acquisition is expedited and compensation disbursed promptly.

At a meeting chaired by Valsala Padashekhara Karshaka Samithi (Valsala Paddy Field Farmers' Committee) Secretary Chandran and others, P Balakrishnan, V Rajagopalan, P Sasi, A Sadasivan, V Devan, P Janardhanan, P Sreenivasan, and M Gopalakrishnan spoke.