The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Civic body holding up subway completion, court told

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Civic body holding up subway completion, court told

Special Correspondent

Pallavaram municipality not handing over land, says highways authority

CHENNAI: : Due to the "inaction and non-cooperation" of the Pallavaram municipal and Kancheepuram district authorities, the Rs. 2.48-crore subway at Pallavaram across the National Highway 45 remains incomplete, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has told the Madras High Court. A submission to this effect was made in a counter-affidavit filed by I. Ganapati Reddy, General Manager (Tech) and Project Director of the NHAI, on a public interest litigation petition from E. Karunanidhi, former municipal councillor of Pallavaram. The petition sought to direct the authorities to hand over a piece of 100 square metres of poromboke land for construction of a staircase.

Pointing out that Rs. 2.35 crores out of the sanctioned sum of Rs. 2.48 crores had already been spent on the project and that 90 per cent of the work had been completed by the NHAI, Mr. Reddy said, "due to the denial of permission by the Pallavaram Municipality to utilise the poromboke land to the extent of 100 square metres for building a staircase on the left side, the project has been delayed.

The staircase on the right side has been constructed on a land belonging to the St. Thomas Mount-Pallavaram Cantonment, after getting due permission from the Cantonment."

An NHAI request for surrendering the land was placed before the municipal council for debate and a resolution denying permission was passed in January 2005, the counter said, adding that owing to the resolution the project could not be completed though it was begun along with similar subway projects at Alandur and Tambaram. "It is quite unfortunate that the subway could not be opened for the purpose for which it was constructed mainly due to the inaction and non-cooperation from the respondent-authorities," it said. In spite of several requests and reminders the district administration was yet to take any decision in the matter, it contended. A Division Bench comprising Justice M. Karpagavinayagam and Justice S.R. Singharavelu, before which the matter came up for hearing, posted it to October 24.

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