Alternative alignment for bypass road on the outskirts of Tiruchi still elusive
Uncertainty looms over the new bypass road that is to
connect the Tiruchi-Madurai, Tiruchi-Dindigul and Tiruchi-Karur national
highways on the outskirts of the city as no decision has been arrived
yet on identifying an alternative alignment since the High Court struck
down the plan to lay the road across irrigation tanks.
Work
on the bypass road was halted after the Madurai Bench of Madras High
Court based on petition filed by local farmers, struck down National
Highways Authority of India’s plan to lay the road across Kothamangalam,
Kallikudi, and Punganur tanks in 2010. The farmers alleged that laying
the road across the tanks would affect irrigation and their livelihood.
The
road was to run from Panchapur on the NH 45 via Thayanur to Jeeyapuram
on NH 67. The project was taken up as part of widening of the NH 67
being executed on a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis.
Widening
of the Karur highway is nearing completion even as the fate of the
bypass road hangs in balance. The court in a subsequent order had also
ordered the NHAI to remove the sand dumped on Kothamangalam and Punganur
tanks for laying the road. The process started recently and is still
underway.
Although a public hearing was held in
December 2011 to elicit views of locals on the possible alternative
alignments for the road, no headway has since been made in finalising
the revised alignment. While four possible alternative alignments were
discussed, a new alignment that suggested that the road pass through the
south side of Aruvankudi tank starting from Panchapur and culminating
at Kaliyankadu was strongly opposed by local farmers as it involved
acquiring about 43 hectares of agricultural lands.
With
the NHAI yet to arrive at a decision on the revised alignment, farmers,
who originally took the matter to the court, have demanded that a
decision be made expeditiously.
“We are not against
laying the bypass road. We want the water bodies to be protected and all
encroachments removed. At the same time, we want the authorities to
arrive at a decision early and finalise an alternative alignment at the
earliest,” said M.P.Chinnadurai, district president, Tamizhaga
Vivasayigal Sangam. Resolutions pressing this demand were adopted at a
recent meeting of farmers representatives of all parties from the
locality, Mr.Chinnadurai said.
However, enquiries
with the district administration revealed that the NHAI was yet to
convey a firm decision on which alternative alignment they are opting
for. “They are yet to submit the land plan schedule for whatever
alignment they choose,” a senior district official told The Hindu.
Nevertheless,
reliable sources indicated that the NHAI had a few months ago informed
the district administration that they would be willing to go by the
second of the four alternative alignments, by building an elevated
highway despite the higher cost involved. But this alignment too
involved laying the road across tanks, which the court had strongly
advised against, the sources said.
The district
administration, the sources said, had subsequently suggested that the
NHAI as well go by the original alignment conceived in 2006-07 as part
of the detailed project report of the NHAI. Farmers had then alleged
that this alignment was shifted under pressure from local politicians
and it was this alignment that was successfully challenged by them in
the court.
Sources in the NHAI said that they had
asked for a report from the project consultant on what best could be
done now. A decision is expected to be taken after receiving the report
by mid-December. But given the long history of political lobbying
involved right from the beginning of the project, it remains to be seen
whether the authorities would be able to arrive at a decision any time
soon.
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