Tiruchi
Tiruchi
Member of Parliament Su. Thirunavukkarasar has urged the Defence Minister to take action for the early transfer of a piece of land belonging to the Ministry to enable the completion of the incomplete road overbridge (ROB) near the railway junction in Tiruchi.
In a statement issued here, Mr. Thirunavukkarasar said he had raised the issue under Rule 377 in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday pointing out that this was one the long pending infrastructure development project in Tiruchi.
The first stage of the ROB, being built in two stages, has almost been completed but for the vital Chennai arm due to the delay in transfer of about 0.66 acres of the Defence land to the State Highways Department. Because of this, the second phase of the project too could not be taken up, he said.
The State government, Mr. Thirunavukkarasar pointed out, had identified an alternative land in the adjacent Tamil Nadu Special Police Battalion to be given in exchange. The government had also issued a no objection certificate for the land transfer, he said and urged the Defence Minister to take appropriate action for the land transfer.
District Collector S.S ivarasu, while speaking to reporters on Tuesday, had hoped to get the clearance from the Defence Ministry within a month. The Highways Department had recently called for tenders to complete the remaining portion of the incomplete ROB near the railway junction in the city hoping to get the Defence land required for the project soon.
The original contract for the project was terminated by the department due to the delay in getting the Defence land sought for the first phase of project by the Highways Department. Construction of the ROB remains suspended for more than two years now. Ninety percent of the first stage of the project has been completed but for the Chennai arm of the bridge, which needs to be connected to a new approach road to be laid across the Defence land. The Chennai arm is the final segment of the first stage of the two-stage project.
Only upon completion of the first stage of the project, the old narrow bridge could be dismantled for construction of second stage of project. The first stage of the bridge was scheduled to be completed by February 2017 and the second by 2019.
