NH 66 expansion: Revised construction rules could affect lakhs in Kerala

Haripad, Alappuzha: The Supreme Court's interim order revising the distance limits for constructing houses and commercial establishments along national highways is likely to hit Kerala's coastal regions hard, affecting lakhs of people across nine districts from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod.

The court has directed the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to issue a unified notification on the revised limits. It remains unclear whether the land covered by the notification will be acquired by the government.

Under the revised limits, construction of houses will not be permitted within 40 metres on either side of the centre line of a national highway, while commercial establishments will not be permitted within 75 metres.

Existing structures within these limits will also be subject to a review. Commercial establishments operating within the restricted area will require approval from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for renewal of their licences.

The Supreme Court issued the interim order on April 13 in a suo motu case. The matter will be considered again on August 17.

In Kerala, National Highway 66 is being reconstructed as a six-lane highway with a width of 45 metres. A total of 1,079.66 hectares has been acquired for the project from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, resulting in the demolition of 27,035 structures.

Earlier, the highway was 30 metres wide. An additional 15 metres was acquired for the six-lane project, leading to the demolition of thousands of structures.

If the Supreme Court's ruling is implemented, an additional 35 metres of land on both sides would have to be kept free beyond the existing 45-metre highway. The order could affect nearly 2,500 hectares of land along the national highway, as well as lakhs of houses and shops.

Those who rebuilt partially demolished buildings face trouble

People who rebuilt buildings that had been partially demolished during the acquisition of land for the national highway could face difficulties.

Local self-government institutions are reportedly not assigning building numbers or fixing property taxes for some such reconstructed buildings. They are also refusing to renew licences for businesses that had been operating from these premises.

Under building regulations, there is no restriction on carrying out repairs and continuing to use buildings on land acquired by the government, and permission from local self-government institutions is not required for such repairs. However, permission is required if the building is reconstructed with an increase in its built-up area.