Review alignment of karur by-pass road
An expert committee, constituted as per the directions of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, would conduct a field inspection to review the alignment of the Tiruchi-Karur by-pass road being laid by the National Highways Authority of India as part of the widening of the Tiruchi and Karur section of National Highway 67 on April 3.
The by-pass road runs for a distance of about 17 km from Panchapur to Jeeyapuram and passes across three irrigation tanks.
Farmers dependent on the tanks for irrigation, especially ayacutdars of the Punganur and Kallikudi tanks, have raised strong objections to the laying of the road.
They contended that the laying of the road would affect the irrigation system and drinking water sources.
A few changes in the alignment proposed by the NHAI earlier were not acceptable to the farmers.
Based on petitions from the local farmers, the High Court had ordered the constitution of the expert committee to inspect the site and explore the feasibility of realigning the road so as to minimise the disturbance to the water bodies. In another petition, the Madras High Court had directed that the NHAI consult the Director of the Centre for Water Resources of the Anna University-Chennai on the matter.
Following the orders, the committee comprising Swaminathan, Professor, Civil Engineering Department of the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi, the District Environmental Engineer of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, and K.Govindarajan, Director, SEVAI, a voluntary organisation, has been constituted.
The Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department, Water Resources Organisation, Tiruchi, and the District Revenue Officer would be the coordinators of the committee, while the Project Director of the NHAI, Karur, will be its convenor.
The committee would also receive objections from the ayacutdars as directed by the court.
The NHAI has said that it would also accept written objections from farmers, who are not able to submit their representations to the committee, at its office till April 5.
The final alignment would be decided based on the committee's report, NHAI sources indicated.
The by-pass road runs for a distance of about 17 km from Panchapur to Jeeyapuram and passes across three irrigation tanks.
Farmers dependent on the tanks for irrigation, especially ayacutdars of the Punganur and Kallikudi tanks, have raised strong objections to the laying of the road.
They contended that the laying of the road would affect the irrigation system and drinking water sources.
A few changes in the alignment proposed by the NHAI earlier were not acceptable to the farmers.
Based on petitions from the local farmers, the High Court had ordered the constitution of the expert committee to inspect the site and explore the feasibility of realigning the road so as to minimise the disturbance to the water bodies. In another petition, the Madras High Court had directed that the NHAI consult the Director of the Centre for Water Resources of the Anna University-Chennai on the matter.
Following the orders, the committee comprising Swaminathan, Professor, Civil Engineering Department of the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi, the District Environmental Engineer of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, and K.Govindarajan, Director, SEVAI, a voluntary organisation, has been constituted.
The Chief Engineer of the Public Works Department, Water Resources Organisation, Tiruchi, and the District Revenue Officer would be the coordinators of the committee, while the Project Director of the NHAI, Karur, will be its convenor.
The committee would also receive objections from the ayacutdars as directed by the court.
The NHAI has said that it would also accept written objections from farmers, who are not able to submit their representations to the committee, at its office till April 5.
The final alignment would be decided based on the committee's report, NHAI sources indicated.
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