The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Rs. 400 crore sanctioned for highways repair

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 28, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Rs. 400 crore sanctioned for highways repair

T. Ramakrishnan

Tenders floated; work will commence by the middle of January The Revenue department issued an order according sanction to the Highways department for taking up the works.

CHENNAI: Nearly 11,000 km of rain battered highways in 22 districts will get a fresh lease of life shortly with the Government allotting Rs. 400 crore for implementing 1,200 temporary restoration works.

Tenders have been floated and work will commence by the middle of January, according to an official. As part of the temporary restoration works, potholes and patches will be filled and bituminous coating provided.

Ten days ago, the Revenue department issued an order according sanction to the Highways department for taking up the works.

The order states that Rs. 50 crore was approved in October and District Collectors allocated Rs. 15 crore to the Highways department for road repair. Besides, Rs. 60 crore is available to the department in the form of a 15 per cent reserve in regular maintenance provision. So the net requirement towards temporary restoration is Rs. 325 crore, which has now been sanctioned.

The Government has decided to release Rs. 150 crore immediately.

In the Highways department's assessment, 18,000 km of roads under the control of the State Government have been damaged. The cost of restoration is estimated at Rs. 2,150 crore.

Unprecedented rain, inadequate drainage system, breaches on tanks/tank bunds and digging to allow free flow of water were among the reasons for the widespread damage to roads.

The Highways department had approached the Government seeking sanction of Rs. 140 crore for taking up restoration works on select roads. As part of this, construction of 1,530 culverts, 110 causeways, 60 bridges and 220 retaining walls were proposed.

The Government has decided to examine the issue separately after the Centre gives its final response to the flood memoranda submitted by the State.

The Commissioner of Revenue Administration will issue guidelines for the implementation of temporary restoration works, the order adds.

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