Stalin was referring to a request made by Dayanidhi Maran to improve the condition of the stretch of road from Chennai to Ranipet (NH-4).
The chief minister sought suitable instructions to officials to expedite the six-lane work and maintain that road stretch in good condition. (Wikimedia Commons)
In a letter addressed to Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote, “With all such sincere efforts by the government, it was unfortunate that an impression that the state government was not cooperating with NHAI has been underlined in your reply in the Parliament.”
He assured the minister that it was not true.
Stalin added that the state government has been trying their best to expedite all major infrastructure projects without discriminating between the projects undertaken by the state and Union governments.
Stalin was referring to a recent request made on the floor of the Parliament by Lok Sabha member Dayanidhi Maran to improve the condition of the existing road stretch from Chennai to Ranipet (NH-4).
ஒன்றிய அரசின் திட்டங்களுக்குத் தேவையான ஒத்துழைப்பினை தமிழ்நாடு அரசு வழங்கும் எனத் தெரிவித்தும் மாண்புமிகு ஒன்றிய அமைச்சர் @nitin_gadkari அவர்களுக்கு மாண்புமிகு முதலமைச்சர் @mkstalin அவர்கள் கடிதம் எழுதியுள்ளார்.
2/2 pic.twitter.com/wEFjjKMeVJ
— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) February 11, 2023
“This segment provides vital connectivity from Chennai city and its ports to the industrial clusters in Kanchipuram, Vellore, Ranipet, Hosur, and Krishnagiri. The condition of the road is so bad that I had to plan my recent visits to a few districts by train. While the request from our MP was very specific on this important road, we were disappointed with your reply which was very general and non-committal,” stated Stalin in his letter.
Detailing the TN government’s steps in connection with various projects, the chief minister referred to the Chennai Port to Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway Project and said that it has been revived by extending every possible help, including granting exemption from royalty on aggregates.
Similar concessions, which were never given in the past, have been extended to other major NHAI projects as well. Based on the requests from the Centre’s side, the validity of soil/gravel permits has been extended on 9 May 2022 from 3 months to 1 year.
This is not a DMK stage to continuously peddle lies & knocking at the wrong doors won't help either!
Hon Minister of Road, Transport & Highways, Thiru @nitin_gadkari avl gives a befitting reply to the lies unleashed by Gopalapuram family member & DMK MP Thiru @Dayanidhi_Maran. pic.twitter.com/ONpe2YsRk2
— K.Annamalai (மோடியின் குடும்பம்) (@annamalai_k) February 10, 2023
A special cell has been constituted in the state headquarters to monitor land acquisition for highway projects. Permissions from the forest department are also being reviewed and “to the best of my knowledge, no major NHAI project is held up for want of such permissions,” Stalin said.
Progress in land acquisition and borrow earth permissions by the district collectors is being regularly monitored at the level of chief secretary, he noted. The other requests for providing borrow earth free of cost by waiving the material cost, royalty, and seigniorage charges are also under consideration, he added.
Stalin requested Gadkari to instruct his department officials to look into the “very specific request raised by our MP”. The road stretch indicated is the Sriperumbudur to Walajapet section of NH-4, where the six-lane work is in progress. The work has been held up due to contractual issues between the contractors and NHAI and, hence, the condition of the existing road is very bad, he pointed out.
“It is not out of place to mention that the High Court of Madras in December 2020 reduced the toll fee at Sriperumbudur and Chennasamudram toll plazas to 50 percent due to such poor maintenance. The poor road conditions and the difficulties faced by road users have caused a major dent in the reputation of NHAI, which otherwise has been doing an excellent job in our state,” Stalin mentioned in his letter.
In tamilnadu, walajapet to Chennai National Highway NH4,46 not completed very worst road.. but Toll plazas get Fees.
— D.P.Satheshkumar (@satheshkpk46) December 27, 2016
The chief minister sought suitable instructions to officials to expedite the six-lane work and maintain that road stretch in good condition. “I once again assure you that we will continue to extend all necessary cooperation for your projects.”
(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
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