a day ago
NHAI increases compensation for Western Bypass to 1k crore, acquisition to be expedited
Indore: In a significant development for the much-anticipated Western Bypass project, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) substantially increased the compensation for land acquisition in Indore's Sanwer, Hatod, and Depalpur tehsils, as well as in Dhar's Pithampur.
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This revised compensation aims to resolve ongoing protests from farmers and expedite the critical infrastructure project.
The 64 km-long Western Bypass requires approximately 600 hectares of land across Indore and Dhar districts. While about 30 hectares are govt-owned, the remaining vast majority is private land that needs to be acquired. The bypass itself spans around 55.5 km through three tehsils of Indore and an additional 8.4 km through Dhar's Pithampur tehsil.
NHAI Indore division project director Sumesh Banzal confirmed the revised compensation figures. "Earlier, the compensation was estimated based on the collector's guideline. Following the farmers' demands, we examined the average sale and purchase of the lands in marked tehsils and re-estimated the compensation that now increased from earlier around Rs 600 crore to now about Rs 1,000 crore," he stated.
According to the district-wise breakdown, approximately Rs 795 crore in compensation was sanctioned for around 1,000 farmers across 26 villages in Depalpur, Sanwer, and Hatod.
The remaining Rs 200 crore will be distributed among the affected farmers of Pithampur. Banzal added, "The compensation was awarded. The amount will soon be credited into the farmers' account, before starting the land acquisition."
The NHAI's ambitious goal is to complete the road ahead of the Ujjain Simhastha in 2028, a major religious congregation that draws millions.
Last year, the NHAI approved the construction of the 34 km-long six-lane Indore Western Bypass under Package-1 at a cost of Rs 1534.70 crore.
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Package-2, costing around Rs 1,300 crore, will cover the remaining 30 km stretch of the 64 km bypass. This six-lane road will traverse through Indore and Dhar, commencing from NH-52 and connecting with NATRAX in Pithampur. The project also proposes the construction of three major bridges, 30 small bridges/culverts, and three railway-over-bridges (ROB).
Collector Asheesh Singh expressed optimism about the project's acceleration. "The compensation, with a rise, was approved. We are expecting to now speed up construction of the Western Bypass that will facilitate commuters of Indore, Dhar, and on connecting routes," he said.
