New Delhi, June 5 -- High on a hillock on the outskirts of Thaliparamba Municipality in northern Kerala, Puliparambil Sreedharan's land property and home are still technically outside the area earmarked for the six-laning of the Kerala section of National Highway 66. Despite this, the widely publicised highway construction, which promises to usher in a new paradigm in Kerala's infrastructural growth, has become a personal nightmare for him, disrupting his life and threatening his home.

The hill excavation, a component of the road extension initiative by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), has put his residence at risk of collapse during the forthcoming weeks of the southwest monsoon, which could lead to loss of property and ...