New year brings much hope with announcements of major civic projects

Government has sanctioned preparation of DPRs for building elevated corridors to reduce traffic congestion

An artistic impression of the proposed integrated bus terminus in Tiruchi.

The year that has ended has not brought in major development in terms of civic infrastructure in Tiruchi, but the year ahead holds much promise as a slew of projects are in the pipeline.

Barring a few projects such as the renovation of the Chathiram Bus Stand, the Uyyakondan river front development and the illumination of the Rockfort under the Smart Cities Mission, important ongoing infrastructure projects such as the construction of the Junction Road Over Bridge, extension of the underground sewer system, the new drinking water projects for the five wards off the Thanjavur Road and development of roads have dragged on.

Major pending proposals such as the building of the service lanes along the Tiruchi-Thanjavur Highway, renovation/redevelopment of the Gandhi Market, reconstruction of the Salai Road overbridge and construction of a new bridge across the Cauvery river continue to remain on paper. The State government seems to have had a rethink on the vexed issue of building service lanes along Thanjavur Road and the State Highways Minister had requested the Centre to sanction an elevated corridor on the stretch instead. With the land acquisition for the service lanes yet to be completed, the matter continues to drag on.

However, the new government has come up with a series of announcements and follow up measures. The government has already sanctioned the preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for building elevated corridors between the Anna Statue in Chinthamani to the Railway Junction and between Odathurai and Mallatchipuram in an attempt to reduce congestion within the city. New bridges are also proposed across the Cauvery in the city and the railway line near the Fort Railway Station on Salai Road. City residents hope the projects gain shape during the year.

Much hope stems from Municipal Administration Minister K. N. Nehru’s repeat assurances on various aspects of development for the city. Speaking at the government function to lay the foundation stone for the integrated bus stand attended by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on Thursday, Mr. Nehru reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthen the city’s civic infrastructure. “The work has already begun,” he said responding to Tiruchi MP Su.Thirunavukkarasar’s plea to scale up the infrastructure of Tiruchi.

Some of the city’s civic activists are optimistic over the city’s prospects in the coming. “The move to establish the IBT after all these years has made people happy. The area around Panchapur is all set for much development. It augurs well for the city,” said C. Balasubramanian, a senior activist of the District Exnora.

Echoing similar views, K. Sakthivel, organiser, Federation of Tiruchi City Residents Welfare Associations, which has been seeking to highlight some of the long pending projects in the city, observed that though the IBT proposal has taken shape after long years, it has brought much cheer.

Citing the incomplete Junction road overbridge as one such prominent pending projects, Mr.Sakthivel hoped that the bridge will completed in the coming year as some vital stages have been crossed towards getting the Defence land for the project in recent months. He also hoped that the government would execute a project to clean up the Uyyakondan river in the city by preventing sewage flow into it. “Mr. Nehru has already promised that steps would be taken towards this end; we hope the pollution of the canal will be stopped soon,” he said.