Koraput: The central government has drawn up an action plan for a major road project to shorten the distance between Vishakhapatnam and Raipur. The road project to be developed under Bharatmala Yojana will pass through Koraput. However, as groundwork for the project is about to start people in some parts of the district have opposed it. Sources said people who are going to lose their land for the ambitious road project in Mahadeipur and Mastipur panchayats under Sadar block have accused the government of paying meagre amounts of compensation for their land.
The owners have expressed their displeasure and said the compensation the government is offering them is much less than the market value of their land.
Sources said, the current market price of an acre of land in the two panchayat is Rs 5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh. However, the government is offering a price of Rs 30,000 per acre.
The owners who may lose their land due to the project have come together over the issue and recently held a meeting at Litiguda.
Jeypore MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati observed that the government should provide right amount of compensation to the owners and provide them land in equal measure elsewhere.
The district administration is preparing for a public hearing to be held January 21 about land acquisition.
The land losers have decided to take up the issue with the District Collector well before the public hearing. They warned that they will strongly oppose the Bharatmala Yojana if they are not paid reasonable compensation for their land. They said that many house will be affected by the project at Rangamati village in Mahadeiput panchayat.
The distance between Vishakhapatnam and Raipur is 514 km. After completion of this project, the distance between their two cities will be reduced to 464 km.
A 124.881-km stretch of this project will be laid in Chhattisgarh while 114.989 km will pass through Nabarangpur and Koraput districts. The road will be laid through Borigumma, Dasamanthpur, Koraput, Semiliguda and Pottangi blocks before touching Vishakhapatnam.
