The Centre has sanctioned Rs. 2 lakh crore for various development schemes in Tamil Nadu for the next two years, said Union Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari here on Friday.
He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating a flyover across the Pazhayar in Suchindram and laying the foundation stone for a overbridge across Narikulam tank linking North-South National Highway corridor.
He also dedicated 40 road projects undertaken under Central Road Fund in Kanniyakumari district.
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The bridge across Narikulam tank had been hanging fire for long due to objections raised by environmentalists and villagers. The Supreme Court cleared the project last year. The bridge is to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs. 21 crore and would be completed in one and a half years, Mr. Gadkari said.
“I am happy to announce santioning of Rs. 2 lakh crore like a blank cheque for Tamil Nadu to undertake various development projects. Union Minister of State Pon. Radhakrishnan can use this amount at his discretion,” he said. He also announced sanctioning of eight National Highway projects at an estimated cost of Rs. 6,500 crore.
Mr. Gadkari sanctioned Rs. 7,126 crore to develop another 392 km of National Highway for the current financial year, and said the works on these projects would begin within six months.
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The Minister sanctioned Rs. 10,000 crore for East Coast Road, connecting Kanniyakumari to Chennai, Rs. 11,000 crore for Chennai-Bengaluru Express Highway, and Rs. 4,000 crore for Chennai Harbour-Maduravayal elevated highway.
Mr. Gadkari said the government was mulling over operating ferry services connecting Thiruvananthapuram, Kanniyakumari, Kovalam and Chennai and other locations. An initial amount of Rs. 200 crore had been sanctioned for the project and a committee would be appointed to prepare a detailed project report.
As fishermen had hoisted black flags atop their houses from Neerodi to Arogyapuram to show their protest for Enayam port ptoject on Friday, the Minister said not a single fisherman, house or place of worship would be affected. Fishermen would get benefited through various schemes, and the project would pave way for the overall development of the region. Mr. Gadkari sought the cooperation of the fishermen to implement the project.
He also said at present the fishermen could go fishing 12 nautical miles from the shore but if Enayam project was implemented they could go beyond that.