The ongoing road laying work from Muhuntharayar Chathiram to Dhanushkodi would be completed in six months, Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare S. Sundararaj said.
The private company, which had taken up the Rs. 20-crore project, and commenced preliminary work in October last, had laid the road for 2.4 km and expected to complete the project by the year-end.
The Minister who inspected the work here on Saturday told reporters that after the completion of the first phase, the project would be extended up to Arichalmunai, the eastern tip of the island, covering another 4.5 km.
Soon the eastern strip of the island would become a tourist destination as the Department of Tourism proposed to create all necessary infrastructure facilities, he said.
The first phase of the five-km-long road was being laid as per the design obtained from the Department of Ocean Engineering of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras. As suggested by the department, Gabion boxes had been erected on both sides of the road, officials said.
To prevent ingress of seawater and protect the road from possible tidal action, a geo-textile layer had been placed in the inner side of the boxes. The textile and nylon ropes were imported from Australia, they added.
The Minister said the carriage width of the 54-km-long stretch of road from East Coast Road junction in Ramanathapuram to Muhuntharayar Chathiram was being expanded to 10 metres from the existing seven metres at a cost of Rs. 94 crore. The work was expected to be completed within a year, he said.
He said the National Highways had sent a proposal to the National Highways Authority of India for laying a four-km- long ring road from Rameswaram to Pamban to prevent fish carts and trucks from entering the town.
Road to Sivan Temple
The Jada Theertham Sivan Temple, located one km inside the reserve forest area in the island near Kothandaramar Temple, is all set to have a black-topped road, ahead of Mahamaham festival in February next.
As the temple is located inside the reserve forest area, the Minister sought permission from the forest department to lay the road, ahead of ‘Kumbabhishekam’ to be held in August and the Mahamaham festival. Mr. Sundararaj who inspected the metal road at the temple site on Saturday, told reporters that he had requested Minister for Forests M.S.M. Anandan to accord permission for laying the road. Rameswaram Municipality would lay the road.
Though the Centre’s permission was necessary for undertaking any non-forestry purpose work in reserve forest areas, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in Chennai could accord sanction for the road project as “right of way” to the temple existed, he said.
