Decks are expected to be cleared soon for the resumption of work on laying the bypass road connecting Tiruchi-Madurai and Tiruchi-Karur national highways around the city as the Public Works Department has given its consent for the revised alignment of the road.
The National Highways Authority of India, the executing agency, has now sought environmental clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment for the revised alignment and the work would begin once the clearance was obtained, sources in the NHAI told The Hindu . The project was grounded and halted midway after the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, while hearing a petition from farmers’ organisations, struck down the NHAI’s plan to lay the road across Kothamangalam, Kallikudi and Punganur tanks in 2010.
The farmers alleged that laying the road across the tanks would affect irrigation and their livelihood. The court suggested that the NHAI could lay the bypass road without affecting irrigation sources.
Semi-ring road
The road would run from Panchapur on NH45 via Thayanur to Jeeyapuram on NH 67. It would bring about a semi-ring road and could substantially reduce traffic congestion in the city. The project was taken up as part of widening of the NH 67 being executed on Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis. The project ran into controversy over its alignment and land acquisition issues since 2006-07.
While the total length of the bypass was around 17 km, the alignment between the Tiruchi-Dindigul and Tiruchi-Karur highways, a distance of about 4.5 km, was opposed by farmers as it was proposed to be laid across irrigation tanks. An alternative alignment was proposed after a public hearing was held in December 2011 to elicit the views of locals. However, the work could not be resumed as a no objection certificate was awaited for the revised alignment.
Meanwhile, farmers who took up the issue to the court opposing the laying of the road across the tanks too demanded that the road be laid without affecting the water sources.
Sources in the district administration said the NoC was issued by the PWD after the Assembly election. Not much land acquisition was involved for the revised alignment. Fresh environment clearance had been sought as it was one of the conditions laid by the High Court, the sources added.
Sources in the NHAI said the environmental clearance was expected soon as the organisation’s headquarters in New Delhi was also pursuing the matter. Once the clearance was issued, the work would resume.
