Tamil Nadu to establish state highways authority to execute e-way projects

CHENNAI: The state government has planned to establish the once proposed Tamil Nadu State Highways Authority (TNSHA) with statutory powers on the lines of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Uttar Pradesh State Highways Authority.
It will enable the agency to execute several road infrastructure projects, including six-lane corridors and expressways, by acquiring land and mobilising its own resources without much procedural delay.
The government plans to enact legislation to give teeth to the authority, which will function as an autonomous body.
The AIADMK regime announced in 2013 that a new state highways authority would be established on the lines of the NHAI.
The AIADMK announced in 2013 that major state highways would be entrusted to the state highways authority to give focused attention to their formation, quality maintenance and management adhering to global standards. Barring an executive order the same year, the authority remains only on paper so far. “An empowered organisation is required to take quick decisions to ensure quality and speedy delivery and avoid delays in the execution of large road infrastructure work. TNSHA will be revitalised and operationalised as a body empowered to make decisions without delay, similar to the NHAI,” state highways minister E V Velu told the assembly recently.
The plan is to execute projects under various models, including public private partnership (PPP), said an official. Out of the 66,000 km roads under the control of the state highways department, only 2,000 km would be handed over to the new authority over the next five years, said the official. Tamil Nadu is the fifth largest payee of NHAI toll. Until December, in 2022-23, the toll plazas of the NHAI in Tamil Nadu collected `2,775 crore as against the previous year collection of `2,649 crore. As per the forecast of the Union road transport ministry, the user fee collection is expected to increase by 5% due to annual traffic growth and by 3% due to change in wholesale price index every year.
Currently, the Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation collects toll from plazas on East Coast Road (1), Rajiv Gandhi Salai (1) and Outer Ring Road (4) to meet contractual obligations. TNSHA being an autonomous body, it will have professionals to manage the affairs. “The authority will help plan, develop and maintain roads, besides monetise potential roads,” said another official. The state highways department will enact the legislation during the next assembly session, he said. TNN