Udupi: With land acquisition hurdles slowing the expansion of National Highway 169A, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Kota Srinivas Poojary on Monday inspected the progress of the Malpe-Molakalmuru highway project, covering a four-kilometre stretch from Malpe to the Coastal Bypass on foot.

The four-lane widening of the Malpe-Agumbe section has been underway for some time, but delays in land acquisition have hampered progress. The issue has drawn concerns from commuters, fishermen heading to Malpe harbour, and tourists, prompting the MP to visit the site along with officials.

Following the inspection, Poojary stated that around 500 metres of road widening had been completed. Of the 227 land acquisition cases, compensation has been provided for 133, while 25 more are expected to be settled by Friday. Another 40 cases are under review, with notices to be issued soon.

"I have instructed the contractors and National Highway officials to begin construction in areas where land acquisition is complete, starting March 4, from Mogaveera Sabha Bhavan in Malpe to Kalmadi. Any legal complications will be addressed as per procedure," he said.

The land acquisition process has also triggered concerns over compensation, as landowners claim that the prevailing market rate is between ₹7 lakh and ₹8 lakh per cent, while the government has fixed compensation at ₹1 lakh per cent. Many have demanded a revision.

Poojary assured that he, along with MLA Yashpal Suvarna, would submit a representation through the Deputy Commissioner, urging the government to revise the compensation package. He also claimed that 99% of landowners had agreed to the acquisition terms.

The inspection was attended by Udupi Municipality President Prabhakar Poojary, Additional Deputy Commissioner Abid Gadyal, Sub-Divisional Officer Mahesh Chandra, engineers from the National Highways Authority, contractors, and police officials.