Collectors across Tamil Nadu have been instructed to identify two-lane and four-lane State Highway roads that can be upgraded into four-lane and six-lane respectively to ensure hassle-free vehicular movement, Minister for Public Works Department and Highways A.V. Velu has said.
Speaking to reporters here on Friday after chairing a meeting to review the progress of the ongoing projects being executed by his departments in five southern districts, Mr. Velu said the Tamil Nadu Government that was according highest priority for ensuring high quality roads across the State was aiming at laying State highways for about 2,000 km during this fiscal with bridges, bypass roads for which land acquisition was actively going on.
Moreover, Collectors have been asked to identify two and four-lane State Highways that could be upgraded into four and six-lanes even as project estimates for these possible upgrading was also going on.
He said that sufficient number of trees would be planted wherever trees were cut as part of the widening of roads.
“Besides pooling in the resources of the State Government, steps are being taken to rope in industrial biggies to sponsor tree saplings and maintenance of the saplings through their Corporate Social Responsibility funds,” Mr. Velu said adding that Minister for Thangam Thennarasu was actively working on this project.
The PWD was involved in projects worth ₹427.44 crore in Virudhunagar, ₹144.49 crore in Tenkasi, ₹103.88 crore in Tirunelveli, ₹80.80 crore in Thoothukudi and ₹60.52 crore in Kanniyakumari districts.
A 140-meter-long suspension bridge between Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Thiruvalluvar Statue in Kanniyakumari would be erected on an outlay of Rs. 37 crore to add more colour to the international tourist destination.
“Even as a study on this project will be done shortly by the Indian Institute of Technology – Madras, tender will get finalized shortly so that the Chief Minister can inaugurate the suspension bridge in near future,” he said.
Land acquisition
On the delay in commencement of some of the projects, including the rail over bridge at Kulavanigarpuram manned level crossing, the Minister said these projects were getting delayed due to land acquisition. “A total of 53 projects are getting delayed due to this issue. We’re taking all-out efforts to take up these projects forward at the earliest,” he said.
He said Tirunelveli would get its outer ring road in the west to ease perennial traffic congestion caused in the city by west-bound vehicles, especially the trucks. Tiruchendur would get a new circuit house.
Ministers Anita R. Radhakrishnan, P. Geetha Jeevan, Thangam Thennaras and KKSSR Ramachandran, District Collectors V. Vishnu of Tirunelveli, K. Senthil Raj of Thoothukudi, S. Gopala Sundararaj of Tenkasi, M. Aravind of Kanniyakumari and J. Meghanatha Reddy of Virudhunagar, MLAs and senior PWD and Highways Department officials from these districts participated in the meeting.
