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Major highway, expressway works will be over by 2012: Baalu

Staff Reporter

Baalu inaugurates Build Expo 2007

Coimbatore: Major highway and expressway works across the country running to 51,000 km with an estimated outlay of Rs. 2,27,000 crore will be completed before the current Five Year Plan period (2011-2012), Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T.R. Baalu said here on Thursday.

He was talking to reporters on road and highway infrastructure improvements and investments after inaugurating the Build Expo 2007 at CODISSIA Fair Grounds.

Seven phases

Mr. Baalu said under the National Highways Project Phase I&II, works for widening and strengthening 14,300 km of roads into four lanes were being taken up under the Golden Quadrilateral, North-South and East-West Corridor projects.

Under Phase III, 10,000 km of roads would be taken up. The fourth phase would take up 20,000 km roads for double laning. In the fifth phase, 56,500 km of roads with heavy traffic density would be made six-lane roads. In the sixth phase 1,000 km of (new alignments) expressways would be created.

In the seventh phase construction of rail/road over bridges and under bridges would be taken up besides various modern road-engineering measures such as grade separators. The eighth phase would witness 6,300 km of roads in the north-eastern States being made into two-lane and four-lane, depending on the need.

Litigation to blame

Asked about the inordinate delay in the widening and strengthening works on the Bangalore-Kochi (National Highway 47) between Chengampalli near Erode to Walayar on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, the Minister said it was due to a pending litigation. He was confident that the issue would be sorted out within three days and works commence shortly.

With regard to long pending improvements on a small stretch (Tiruchi Road) in Coimbatore district on National Highway 67 extension connecting Nagapattinam-Gudalur-Mysore Road via Mettuppalayam and Udhagamandalam, he said instructions had been given to take up the work. During the current fiscal, preliminary works would be taken up. Permanent works would start immediately after the commencement of the next fiscal.

Minor problem

Reacting to reports in a section of the Press about a dredger vessel suffering damage at the Sethusamudram Project site near Rameswaram, Mr. Baalu said it was only a minor problem in one of the welding lines in the dredger vessel. He criticised the media for blowing things out of proportion.

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