Highways Department to prepare reports for four projects in Coimbatore

The State Highways Department (National Highways wing) is all set to prepare detailed project reports (DPRs) for four major infrastructure projects planned in Coimbatore.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has said in a communication dated February 8 that bids could be invited to prepare the DPRs for 28 projects in the State, including a few in Coimbatore district.

An official of the NH wing said DPRs would be prepared to construct a flyover on Trichy Road across the Coimbatore bypass junction, a flyover at Sundarapuram, Mettupalayam bypass and a bridge across the Bhavani at Mettupalayam. There was no deadline to prepare the DPRs for these. So projects that did not involve land acquisition would be taken up on a priority basis. The flyover and bridge works were likely to be approved quickly after the DPRs were submitted.

The Mettupalayam bypass would be a larger project involving land acquisition. There was also a proposal for a flyover at Ganapathy. But that too involved land acquisition and hence would not be taken up now, the official said.

K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, said the Coimbatore Corporation should expedite the land acquisition process at Ganapathy as funds for it were given a year ago. Similarly, the Mettupalayam bypass was a long pending demand and it should also be given importance. By preparing DPRs first and then approving projects, the Centre was taking the right step to complete projects quickly, he said.

The Highways Department (NH) official added that it had submitted estimates to the Centre for construction of flyovers at Singanallur, Thudiyalur, Sai Baba Colony and Saravanampatti. Approvals for these were expected in a month, he said.