Lack of availability of earth and fly ash for completion of works and problems over ownership of land acquired for the project continue to plague the widening of the Chennai-Bangalore National Highway from Maduravoyal to Walajapet.
Around 50% of the widening work has been completed, and by next year, the project is likely to be completed.
At present, work to form service lanes on either side is proceeding at spots where land is available with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
“In some places, though the land is in the name of the NHAI, there are issues with the title. For instance, a PSU had constructed buildings on our land since it had purchased a portion of that land from another government organisation. According to their records the land belongs to them, but our records show that the land belongs to us. It is taking time to resolve issues such as these and remove the constructions on them,” said a source in the NHAI.
Only if the service lands are completed can traffic be diverted on to them from the main carriageway and work be carried out on the road.
Another factor for the project’s slow progress is the lack of earth. “Many of the 49 structures remain incomplete due to unavailability of earth for construction of the approaches. The NHAI headquarters even wrote to the State government seeking help for borrowing earth for this project,” said a source. And in places where permissions are available, they remain underwater due to unseasonal rains this year.
The NHAI has also taken up surface renewal at several locations and laid up to the dense bituminous macadam (DBM) layer. The bituminous tar layer would be laid after the rain stops.
A resident of Nazarethpet complained that steps should be taken to remove a liquor shop located on the road side. “This causes motorists to drive on the wrong side and this leads to accidents. The police and the NHAI should take cognisance of this,” he added.
