The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : NHAI seeks State's help to resolve row over waterlines

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 01, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

NHAI seeks State's help to resolve row over waterlines

Special Correspondent

Controversy plagues Virudhunagar-Kovilpatti National Highway expansion

CHENNAI: : The National Highways Authority of India has sought the State Government's cooperation to sort out the issue of laying waterlines along the Virudhunagar-Kovilpatti National Highway (NH-7).

The foundation stone was laid recently for widening the highway into four lanes. The problem is over laying of waterlines on the Sattur-Gangaikondan stretch through Kovilpatti and Kayatar for a water supply project.

According to a Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways release, the NHAI had suggested that the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board lay the waterlines along the proposed alignment for the widened highway. But the Board insisted it would lay the lines along the present alignment.

To resolve the issue, Union Shipping and Transport Minister T. R. Baalu convened a meeting in New Delhi on July 27. "Neither the Managing Director of the Board nor senior officials of the State Government were present. Only a chief engineer took part," the release stated.

The meeting arrived at the decision that the Board must lay the pipes in the earmarked area, taking into account the alignment after widening. The land for the waterlines would be other than that meant for communication cables on an alternative alignment. Of the total length of 64 km, the waterlines could now be laid for 25 km. For the rest, the Board had to identify the land.

The release claimed that the Board had laid waterlines for 5 km on the same highway in February near Andakalur in the Salem-Namakkal area, ignoring NHAI objections. As this stretch was also to be widened, it would cost Rs. 74 lakhs to relay the pipes.

If the State Government acquired land on the alternative alignment for laying waterlines so that the highway widening work did not suffer, the NHAI would ensure that it would complete widening of the Virudhunagar-Sattur-Kovilpatti road without delay, the release added.

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