Defence ministry’s demand for Chennai land delaying work

The decision to give land to defence ministry as compensation for acquiring O.66 acres of defence land near Mannarpuram to complete the pending Chennai arm of the Trichy junction RoB was a major breakthrough. But the defence ministry has reportedly turned down the proposal to provide the land identified in Kanchipuram district and instead sought the highways department to identify land in Chennai district. According to officials, this will further delay the works on the Chennai arm of the RoB.

Though all the other arms in phase I of the Trichy junction RoB were completed, the Chennai arm connecting the elevated structure with the Chennai-Madurai NH remained incomplete. Several requests for land made to the defence ministry by the highways department and the district administration did not materialise so far. Though the authorities had planned to transfer monetary value of 0.66 acres of land estimated at Rs 5.77 crore to the defence, the move was dropped after the ministry clarified that ceding defence land for money is not part of their policy. "Then the state government identified land in Kanchipuram district to be handed over to the ministry as compensation. But, now the defence ministry has asked for land in Chennai district instead of the land in Kanchipuram," an official source with the highways department said.

For the expansion of a couple of airports in the state, the state government had allocated land in Kanchipuram district to the defence ministry few months ago. It was stated that the state government would add the land to be given as compensation along with the land for airport expansions. However, sources in the highways department said that the defence ministry is now keen on receiving land in Chennai district as compensation. "We have sought the help of the district administration of Chennai to identify a suitable land in the district. It will take some more time to complete the Chennai arm," the official added.

Source