The Supreme Court has ordered state governments to issue notifications that forbid any change of land use within 40 metres of a National Highway midpoint for residential projects and within 75 metres for commercial ventures. The directive, issued this week, applies to the stretch of National Highway 66 that cuts through the centre of Bhatkal, a densely populated coastal town squeezed between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats.
Local owners of tiny parcels—often half a gunta, one or two guntas, or a few guntas—now face uncertainty about future development of their properties. Many have invested life savings in land, and the new restrictions threaten to limit the town’s capacity to expand outward, especially given the highway’s location in the urban core.
The anxiety has resurrected a long‑standing demand for an alternative bypass. During highway surveys in 2012‑13, community groups suggested rerouting the road away from the congested centre through Sarpankatte, Muttalli, Talaand and Kadavinakatte, before reconnecting near the Chitrapur side. Proponents argued that roughly 70 per cent of the proposed alignment would traverse barren forest land, leaving only about 30 per cent in inhabited zones that would require acquisition and compensation.
Supporters also pointed to the potential for Bhatkal to grow along the new corridor, easing pressure on the existing road and mirroring the development patterns of nearby cities such as Udupi and Mangaluru, where highways skirt the town limits yet economic activity flourishes. Muslim leaders, including the late S.M. Syed Khaleel and Jukaku Abdul Raheem, voiced approval, saying the bypass could bolster the town’s future prospects.
Opposition emerged from a segment of urban residents who fear the bypass would divert traffic and commerce, reducing Bhatkal to a peripheral settlement like Gangolli. Critics also claimed the proposed route would lie 10–15 km from the town, displacing poorer villagers along the alignment. Those objections were countered by supporters who insisted the alignment is much closer to the town and that displacement would be minimal.
Meanwhile, construction along the existing highway continues unabated, with no clear timeline for completion. Residents contend with persistent traffic snarls, speeding vehicles, and ongoing work on service roads that further disrupt daily life. The
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📰 Source: Sahil Online