The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Sugar mill workers seek new road

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Friday, Mar 14, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Sugar mill workers seek new road

Staff Reporter

“It will help in transport of sugarcane to the mill from areas near Tirupattur”

The estimated cost was Rs.70 lakh, but has shot up to Rs.1.38 crore
Workers urge Chief Minister to sanction funds

TIRUPATTUR: Worker unions of the Tirupattur Cooperative Sugar Mill Limited have been seeking a 2.6-km stretch of road via Kaveripattu and Mettukollai to transport sugarcane to the mill from areas adjoining the Tirupattur sub-division.

Members of various workers’ unions said that they had given a representation to Agriculture Minister Veerapandi Arumugam. A letter was also sent to Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, requesting him to sanction funds from the Chief Minister’s Fund or as an alternative, order release of funds under the Sugar Mill Expansion Scheme which was under the control of the Agriculture Minister. Earlier, the estimated cost for laying the road was Rs.70 lakh. But, the cost had escalated to Rs.1.38 crore.

A member of the workers union of Tirupattur Cooperative Sugar Mill Limited at Kethandapatti said that the mill had the capacity to crush three lakh tonnes of cane a year. If the new road was laid, the mill would be in a position to save Rs.25 lakh a year spent towards payment of rent for lorries transporting the sugarcane. Moreover, the lorries in a year would approximately save up to 50,000 litres of diesel as the distance to the sugar mill would be reduced, he added.

Further, the subway at Kallar, which was adjacent to the railway track, used to get flooded during the monsoon. The new road would help here as well.

The Tirupattur Cooperative Sugar Mill Limited was situated on the Bangalore National Highway. Vehicles from the sugar mill had to travel an extra distance of about 0.7 km till Puthukoil to take a U-turn to proceed to Tirupattur and other areas. The alternative route would make the lorries travel an extra distance of about 0.5 km in the opposite direction on the same lane where the vehicles moved towards Bangalore.

These were the only two routes available for the empty lorries from the mill to proceed to Tirupattur and other nearby areas. Laying the new road would be helpful to the lorries, the member said.

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