To ease traffic bottlenecks in the city by widening motorable space, the Coimbatore Corporation has sought ₹ 20.92 crore from the Local Planning Authority (LPA).
Sources familiar with the development said the civic body had sought the money that the LPA had under the infrastructure development fund meant for city development. The Corporation had proposed to use to the funds to acquire lands at five places to ease to widen the motorable space – carriage way – or construct new roads so as to form new scheme roads.
The locations identified were two in the East Zone – the ‘S’ bend on Vilankurichi Road and Sowripalayam Road, two in South Zone – Kulathupalayam Road and near Selvachinthamani Tank, and one in North Zone – Ganapathy bus terminus.
To kick start the process in the five places, the sources said the Commissioner Sravan Kumar Jatavath visited the Ganapathy bus terminus recently. There, the Corporation proposed to acquire around 5,242 sq.ft. land north of the terminus to widen the road to establish a link to Old Sathyamangalam Road, where the Corporation had a year go demolished encroachments.
The problem at present was that for vehicles proceeding north from the terminus the road was not straight as they would have to swerve right to move ahead. The land acquisition and development of the area to widen the carriage way would make the exit easy and also give an alternative way for those proceeding to Maniakarampalayam, the sources pointed out.
The cost of the project ₹ 2.76 crore as the Corporation had proposed to pay 2.25 times the guideline value.
As part of this project, the Corporation had also proposed to acquire 2,345 sq.ft. near the Avarampalayam Junction on Sathyamangalam Road (Moore Market) at ₹ 85 lakh to widen the carriage way.
The project on Sowripalayam Road was to widen the carriage way from 12 feet for a 200m stretch from Mariamman Temple to Mahalakshmi Temple. This was a bus route and therefore saw congestion almost several times a day.
The Corporation proposed to acquire more than 8,000 sq.ft. at an estimated cost of ₹ 4.31 crore, the sources said.
Likewise, in near the Selvachinthamani Tank the Corporation proposed to acquire land to construct a new road to establish a scheme road that connected Thadagam Road to Perur Road through Selvapuram North Housing Unit.
In Vilankurichi too, the Corporation proposed to acquire 11 properties that were right in the middle of a four-way junction on Thanneerpandal Road. The move would help movement of vehicles on all the four directions. In the South Zone in Kuniamuthur, the Corporation proposed to establish a link in Kulathupalayam.
Though the Corporation had written to the LPA a year ago, there had been no forward movement on this project. Now, the Corporation proposed to revive the project by getting the funds first as it was a prerequisite for acquiring lands, they added.
