The much-awaited Outer Ring Road (ORR) project in Thiruvananthapuram is headed for fresh delays. This follows a decision by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) to withhold the final environmental clearance for the highway's northern section.
Jurisdiction Dispute Halts Clearance
During a recent meeting, the SEIAA reportedly declined to issue the clearance for the stretch running from Thekkada to Navaikulam. The authority's stance is that since the ORR is categorized as a national highway (NH 866 under the Bharatmala Pariyojana), the approval must come from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
This decision comes as a surprise, given that the SEIAA's own appraisal committee had recommended granting the environmental clearance for the same northern stretch just last month. Official sources from SEIAA indicated they would only be able to comment formally after the meeting minutes are published on their website on January 3.
Landowners Protest, Project Timeline in Jeopardy
The immediate fallout of this procedural confusion was visible outside the SEIAA office on Tuesday. Members of an action council, representing affected landowners, staged a protest and reportedly gheraoed engineering officials, demanding an immediate resolution to the impasse.
S Chandramohan Nair, the convenor of the action council, expressed the community's frustration. He stated that landowners had fully cooperated with the project, submitting all necessary documents well in advance. "However, due to procedural confusion between state and central agencies, compensation is indefinitely delayed. This uncertainty is unacceptable, and authorities must take a clear and time-bound decision," Nair asserted.
An official associated with the project clarified that the state government has completed most preparatory work, including land acquisition procedures, and funds for compensation are ready. "The northern stretch is being treated as part of a national highway, and hence the clearance has to come from the Centre. Once that is resolved, the compensation process and construction activities can move forward without further hurdles," the official explained, hoping for swift coordination between state authorities, NHAI, and the Union Environment Ministry.
Wider Implications for Capital's Development
The ORR is a critical infrastructure project designed to decongest Thiruvananthapuram city and improve connectivity between the Vizhinjam International Seaport and the northern suburbs. While the southern section from Vizhinjam to Thekkada already has environmental clearance, the holdup for the northern section casts a shadow over the entire project's schedule.
The latest delay raises serious concerns that the ORR, a key component of the capital region's development plan, may miss its targeted completion timelines. This leaves not only the project's future in limbo but also hundreds of landowners awaiting promised compensation and clarity.
