Tamil Nadu   

IT corridor to be ready by August 2007

R.K. Radhakrishnan

The main six-lane carriageway will be ready by then; service lanes will take some more time

CHENNAI: After a series of delays, the agencies involved in building the IT corridor, a futuristic expressway that will connect Siruseri with Madhya Kailash here, are now working to meet a new deadline: August 2007.

"The main six-lane carriageway will be ready by then. The service lanes will take some more time," an official involved in the construction said. "This time all agencies are serious, and we have a meeting involving top officials each week," he said.

Many deadlines were fixed by the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC), the agency in charge of the 20-km corridor project. In 2004, the company said the work would be completed by March 2005. The next deadline was end-2006. Added to the delay were boardroom intrigues, which saw one official quit the company and later come back. Only to leave after the completion of the first three km up to the Velachery junction. "Actually, the first three km is the easy stretch. It was government land on both sides. Relocation of service cables and taking over land were not a problem," said an official. As work progresses on the `second milestone' — a seven-km stretch from Velachery to Karappakam — the Government has directed that all agencies involved send senior officials who can take decisions on the spot.

Each week, senior officials of Metrowater, the Highways Department, the TIDCO, the TNRDC, the Electricity Board and other agencies sit together and review the progress of work and the goals for the next week.

Difficult stretch

"This is the most difficult stretch. The slope is from Pallikaranai towards the Buckingham canal. We have had very serious flooding both in 2005 and 2006. It could happen in future too," an official who attended the meeting said.

Hence, the TNRDC has decided to construct nine storm water cross culverts along the stretch. The first six will be sloped to carry water from the Pallikaranai swamp to the Buckingham canal.

"This will not delay the project because work will go on simultaneously on the relocation of service lines and the culverts," said an official. Already, relocation of one km of service lines has been completed in the second stretch.

Third phase

The third phase from Karappakam to Siruseri (10 km) is easier and work is progressing simultaneously. "By August, only the service lane will remain to be done."

Meanwhile, the agencies have begun work on the Detailed Project Report for the remaining part — from Siruseri to Mahabalipuram.

It is expected to be ready in March. Since the funds for the project do not come from the State Budget, the agencies are considering various financing options.

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