Land acquisition for Pandalam bypass: Valuation begins for 4.9 acres

Pandalam: Amid simmering public discontent and unresolved grievances, the revenue wing of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) has initiated the land valuation process for the proposed Pandalam bypass.

Following an exhaustive six-month survey, officials sourced over a thousand sale deeds from the local Sub-Registrar’s Office covering the project area and its immediate vicinity. The deeds are being categorised by land type - residential plots, paddy wetlands, and frontages along main roads and side lanes. It will take several months to conclude this assessment and determine final compensation rates. The foundation stone for the bypass was laid back in 2018.

Estimated at ₹28.78 crore, the project envisions a 3.8-kilometre long, 12-metre wide corridor. The valuation will be based on property transactions registered over the past three years. Under the statutory land acquisition and rehabilitation framework, landowners are entitled to double this assessed market value alongside 12 per cent interest, with additional compensation factored in for standing trees and demolished structures. Once this extensive evaluation wraps up, the disbursement of compensation will get underway.

Lingering Concerns and Public Backlash
From the outset, critics questioned the project’s design, pointing out that both ends of the bypass re-enter the already choked MC (Main Central) Road, while forcing commuters to travel nearly five kilometres out of their way. When the physical acquisition survey commenced, authorities were met with a deluge of objections.

Around 407 families lie directly within the project's footprint, with residents of Mangaram, Muttar, Thonnalloor, and Palathadam expressing the deepest anxiety. The alignment cuts through the Valakathinal paddy fields and crosses the Muttar stream, an area that went entirely underwater during the catastrophic 2018 floods. Locals warn that reclaiming these floodplains will drastically exacerbate future flooding. In Mangaram, residents complain that the alignment cuts right through the living quarters of homes despite ample vacant land nearby. Pleas to consider an elevated flyover instead were floated, but failed to gain traction with authorities.

Mounting Traffic Chaos Demands Police Intervention
Locals are also expressing frustration over the town's existing traffic gridlock. Though the Kurunthottayam bridge was rebuilt years ago, having initially taken the blame for the severe bottlenecks at the junction, traffic woes have shown no signs of abating. Tailbacks often stretch for kilometres.

Even during peak traffic hours, crowd control is left entirely in the hands of lone Home Guards, prompting persistent demands for regular police deployment. The impending Sabarimala pilgrimage season threatens to bring the town to a near-standstill. Indiscriminate parking remains the root cause of the chaos; despite official signboards marking designated parking and no-parking zones along the MC Road, the rules are roundly flouted, with vehicles parked haphazardly on both sides of the carriageway.

The municipal parking lot at the private bus stand remains practically abandoned, as motorists find it nearly impossible to negotiate the congestion along the KSRTC link road to reach it, with neither the police nor Home Guards stepping in to manage vehicle flow. While major towns in the district such as Pathanamthitta, Adoor, and Thiruvalla have been sanctioned dedicated Traffic Police Units, Pandalam continues to choke in traffic without one.