Raviprasad Kamila/The Hindu 

• Corporation is yet to shift its 13-km-long water pipeline 
• Only 32 per cent of the work has been completed, says official
• Eleven writ petitions are pending in the Karnataka High Court

Mangalore, Sep 1: The work of converting the three national highways between Surathkal and B.C. Road into four-lane is likely to be delayed as the issues related to shifting of water supply line and disbursement of compensation to the owners of lands being acquired have not been solved yet.

As per the website of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), www.nhai.org, which is executing the project, the work is scheduled to be completed by March, 2009. The work began in June, 2005 and as per the original estimate, the project should have been completed by December last. Under the project, national highways 17, 13 and 48 will be developed into four-lanes. In all, the stretch is 37.5-km long.

According to Prashanth N. Gawasane, project director, NHAI, Mangalore Project Implementation Unit, about 32 per cent of the work has been completed. The work comprises widening and concreting of road, construction of five fly-overs, four minor bridges, two underpasses, three box culverts and 38 pipe culverts.

Mr. Gawasane told The Hindu that about 17-km-long water supply pipeline was yet to be shifted. Of that, a major part belonged to Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) with a 13-km -long line coming under its jurisdiction. Of the rest, a two-km stretch belonged to Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Union Ltd (DKMUL) and another two-km to Bantwal town panchayat. The corporation is yet to shift 1.1-km-long pipeline on NH 17, three-km between Kulakshekara and Padil and the rest on NH 48. The DKMUL has to shift its two-km pipeline that exists between Kulashekara and Padil.

Mr. Gawasane said that the arbitrator, who is the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada, was looking into the issues related to the payment of compensation to owners of 19-acre land. However, the matter had not been settled.

Compensation package had been finalised for five acres, involving Rs. 2.61 crore. Of this, the NHAI had disbursed Rs. 1.6 crore to land losers.

“Shifting of water supply lines and paying compensation are the two main issues pending,” he said.

According to him, there are 11 writ petitions before the Karnataka High Court related to this project. Of them, the court had dismissed two petitions and disposed off three. In addition, an appeal filed by NHAI was also pending before the court, he said.

Mayor Ganesh Hosabettu told The Hindu that he was aware of the task on hand. The shifting of water pipielines by the corporation had been discussed two months ago when P. K. Subbaiah was the commissioner of the corporation. “It is not a major issue. It will be addressed,” he said but could not tell when they would be shifted.