The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Ramp planned to connect East Tambaram with Sanatorium road overbridge

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 06, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Ramp planned to connect East Tambaram with Sanatorium road overbridge

K. Manikandan

Residents are happy that at long last their struggle has borne fruit

— Photo : A. Muralitharan

FORTHCOMING FACILITY: A view of the road overbridge to replace the railway level-crossing near the Tambaram Sanatorium Railway Station, as seen from Bharathamatha Street.

TAMBARAM: The State Highways Department will be constructing a ramp to connect East Tambaram with the road overbridge under construction to replace the railway level-crossing near the Tambaram Sanatorium Railway Station.

The Highways Department called for tenders on Sunday for completing the balance work on the project, to the tune of Rs.6.60 crore. This includes a ramp on Bharathamatha Street and other works, including service roads and drains.

The ramp was not part of the original design. Seeking such an access, residents of East Tambaram had moved the Madras High Court and staged several protests in support of their demand.

Officials said the decision to provide a ramp on Bharathamatha Street was made as a special case. The work was taken up under the gauge conversion scheme of 1999 and was being executed jointly with Southern Railway. So far, civil works to the tune of Rs. 14 crore have been completed. Land acquisition is reported to cost an additional sum of around Rs.17 crore.

The balance work would push the final project cost to the Rs.40 crore-mark.

Residents of East Tambaram were overjoyed and said their struggle had borne fruit. The development only reinstated the faith of the people in the government and how concerted efforts from people could lead to success.

Sometime ago, hundreds of residents of East Tambaram staged a series of protests when they came to know that they were deprived of access to the bridge.

As per the original design, the bridge was to connect the Grand Southern Trunk Road with the Chitlapakkam Main Road.

The residents argued that traffic was heavier on Bharathamatha Street and that it ought to have an access.

Their demonstrations led to a number of inspections and fact-finding visits by officials of the State Government and Southern Railway.

Now that the tender has been called for, the balance works should be taken up and completed without any further delay, the East Tambaram residents said.

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