Pragmatic, community-inclusive approach needed to avoid land acquisition delays, says Minister

A pragmatic, community-inclusive approach involving local people and elected representatives is needed to reduce land acquisition delays in Kerala, Public Works Minister PK Basheer said.

Speaking after inaugurating the curtain raising ceremony of the 50th anniversary of KSCSTE – National Transport Planning and Research Center (NATPAC) in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, he emphasized that infrastructure projects should be completed in a time-bound manner.

Highlighting the need to strengthen communication between the Public Works Department (PWD) and NATPAC to expedite road and intersection improvements across the state, he said leveraging the expertise of public sector research institutions like NATPAC is vital to drive a technological transformation in the infrastructure sector.

Welcoming the meeting, KSCSTE-NATPAC Director Ashalatha R. reaffirmed NATPAC’s commitment to creating policies that promote sustainable, smart and safe mobility networks. P. Harinarayanan, Member Secretary, KSCSTE, who presided over the function, outlined the future research roadmap of the institute. Acknowledging NATPAC’s historic role in the development of national highways as well as hill and coastal highways of Kerala, he promised full institutional support for the upgradation of the center by leveraging the expertise of young scientists in line with the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’.

The event also marked the beginning of three major golden jubilee initiatives. The golden jubilee logo symbolizing fifty years of excellence in transportation research was released by the Minister. An events calendar, a compilation of scientific and technical events throughout the year, was released at the event by Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Councilor KR Cleetus, while the ‘TRANSFORM 2026’ logo, the logo of NATPAC’s upcoming international conference on safe and sustainable transportation, was released by Bidur Kant Jha, Director, Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).

The opening session was followed by a panel discussion on ‘Kerala on the Move: Shaping Future Mobility for 2047’. The session was moderated by Elangovan, former Director of NATPAC.