The widening of National Highway 66 (NH-66), Kerala’s most significant road infrastructure project, has moved from a phase dominated by land acquisition disputes to one focused on construction completion, quality concerns, and compensation-related grievances. Stretching from Kasaragod in the north to Thiruvananthapuram in the south, the project aims to transform Kerala’s coastal transport corridor into a six-lane highway and is expected to substantially improve connectivity, logistics, and travel times across the state.

The NH 66 expansion will only be for four lanes in Kerala as opposed to the six lanes in other neighbouring states. A total of 3,567 hectares of land needs to be acquired for widening 590 km of highway corridor from Kasaragod - Thiruvananthapuram. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has agreed to route ₹26,000 crore through the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Several stretches of the NH 66 route reported land conflicts. Near Kozhikode, massive resistance came from the residents of Puthuppanam near Vadakara and Azhiyur in Mahe. In 2018, protests against the land acquisition survey for the NH 66 development turned violent in the Malappuram district. Clashes left 15 injured, including policemen. In February 2019, the Revenue Department officials continued to plant alignment stones for the proposed widening of National Highway 66 amid protest by residents along the stretch of the highway between Edappally and Moothakunnam. Samyukta Samara Samiti accused the administration of trying to bulldoze its way to acquiring land. No public hearing had been conducted nor had statutory clearances for the project been obtained, said Hashim Chennampilly of the Samara Samiti.

In September 2020, notification was issued under the National Highway Act of 1956 to acquire 54.46 ha of land belonging to 11 villages. Between September 2020 and November, the public hearing were reportedly conducted in villages by the tahsildar.

Following years of resistance and delays caused by land acquisition disputes, the project made significant progress after 2021. The Kerala government adopted an aggressive land acquisition strategy, agreeing to bear 25 percent of acquisition costs and offering compensation under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. State officials attributed the reduction in protests to compensation packages that often exceeded market valuations disbursed to affected landowners. By 2022, the state has acquired over 988.09 hectares of 1,076.64 hectares for this project.

The project also became a major fiscal undertaking for Kerala. Between 2021 and 2026, the state contributed approximately ₹5,580 crore towards land acquisition, the highest amount spent by any state government on national highway development. The project was proposed to be finished in 2020 however problems in land acquisition have delayed the project.

Construction progress accelerated after 2023, particularly in northern Kerala. By late 2025, completed and near-complete stretches in Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts were being opened to traffic. However, progress remained uneven. Southern stretches, particularly in Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram districts, continued to face delays due to contractor disputes, material shortages, difficult terrain, and design controversies. Revised completion schedule issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in late 2025 pushed final completion deadlines to mid-2026.

While land acquisition protests largely subsided, new conflicts emerged around construction quality and compensation. In 2025, multiple sections of the under-construction highway developed cracks or suffered structural failures. A notable collapse occurred near Kooriyad in Malappuram district, where an elevated section built over reclaimed paddy land caved in.

Additional failures in Kollam and other districts triggered political controversy, with opposition parties accusing the state government and NHAI of poor oversight. In response, the Union government appointed expert committees, initiated technical audits, and announced penalties against contractors and consultants responsible for defective work.

Compensation disputes also resurfaced. In Kasaragod, several landowners alleged that more land had been acquired than was officially recorded and compensated. Families reported discrepancies revealed through government resurveys, claiming losses of valuable urban land without corresponding compensation. Others challenged valuation methods used by acquisition authorities, arguing that compensation was calculated using artificially lowered market rates. Some cases have progressed to courts, while others remain unresolved.

Thus, although NH-66 is approaching completion after more than a decade of delays, the conflict has evolved rather than disappeared. Initial resistance over land acquisition has given way to disputes over compensation fairness, construction quality, accountability, and public safety.