The State government has ordered preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs) for construction of a semi-ring road in Tiruchi and bypass roads around Aranthangi, Alangudi, Mayiladuthurai and Musiri in the central region.
In an order issued on December 10, the Department of Highways and Minor Ports has granted administrative sanction for the preparation of DPRs for these and bypass roads for a few other towns in other parts of the state.
44.40-km road
The department has sanctioned ₹3.57 crore for preparation of the DPR for the half ring road around Tiruchi. The road is proposed to be built between Panchapur, where the new integrated bus stand is to come up on Tiruchi-Madurai road, to Asoor on Tiruchi-Thanjavur road, connecting the Tiruchi-Dindigul, Tiruchi - Namakkal and Tiruchi - Chennai highways. The road is expected to run via Pirattiyur, Mutharasanallur, Madakudi, Poovalur and Kilikoodu. It will be 44.40 km long.
The move comes amid a prolonged delay in resumption of construction work on the bypass road connecting Tiruchi-Madurai and Tiruchi-Karur national highways.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is expected to resume construction work on the bypass road connecting Tiruchi-Madurai and Tiruchi-Karur national highways after the completion of land acquisition for the revised alignment of the road. The project ran aground after farmers raised objections to the road being laid across irrigation tanks. The project was originally taken up as part of the widening of NH 67 executed on Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis by NHAI. It ran into controversy over alignment and land acquisition issues in 2006-07. Farmers complained that the road, if built across the tanks, would affect irrigation and their livelihood.
The bypass road, which will run from Panchapur on NH45 via Thayanur to Thindukarai near Jeeyapuram on NH 67, was halted midway in 2010 after the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, while hearing a petition from farmers’ organisations, struck down the NHAI plan to build the road across Kothamangalam, Kallikudi and Punganur irrigation tanks in Tiruchi district. The court ordered that the bypass road be laid without affecting irrigation sources. Subsequently, a revised alignment was finalised.
Meanwhile, the State Highways Department’s move to build a separate semi ring road is expected to significantly ease traffic congestion within the city. The alignment of the road and extent of land acquisition involved would be identified in the DPR, sources in the department said.
Bypass roads
This apart, the department has sanctioned ₹37 lakh for preparing the DPR for a bypass road, running for a length of about 10.20 km, around Aranthangi and ₹22 lakh for preparing the report for a six-km long bypass around Alangudi.
Mayiladuthurai town, which is the headquarters of the newly created district, would also get a, eight-km long bypass road soon with ₹51 lakh being sanctioned for the preparation of the DPR. The town of Musiri on Tiruchi-Namakkal road would get a bypass road of about 7.60 km and the DPR for the same would be prepared at a cost of ₹74 lakh.
