The State Highways Department is hopeful of completing phase one of the western bypass project in Coimbatore by August next year.
An official of the Department said the 32 km road will be completed in three phases. The first phase involves development of 11.8 km four-lane road from Madukkarai (Mayilkal) to Madhampatti. The road with paved shoulders will be developed in the first phase at ₹200 crores. Works slowed down because of issues related to availability of sand. That has been sorted out and the works will be expedited and completed on time, the official said.
The Department is acquiring land for the second phase and 70 % of it is over. This will be for nearly 10 km from Madhampatti to Kanuvai. At least 90 % should be completed for the government to allocate funds. “We hope to complete the land acquisition for the second phase in a month,” he said.
For the final phase of the work, measures have just commenced for acquisition of land, the official added.
If there are delays in an infrastructure project, the government should study the issues in detail and ensure that no project is delayed for more than a year, K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, said.
“By the time a project is completed, the entire scope of it undergoes a change and the outlook of the public also changes. Many projects are dropped or cancelled because of this. The western bypass was conceived almost two decades ago,” he said.
There may be multiple reasons that delay land acquisition, especially in Coimbatore. The government should fix deadlines for land acquisition too, if there are no legal issues, he added.
