80 bridges to ease traffic across Tamil Nadu

The districts where the proposed bridges are to come include Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Salem, Dharmapuri, Erode, Tirupur, Coimbatore, Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Ariyalur, Tiruvarur, Madurai, Dindigul, Thoothukudi, Perambalur, Pudukottai, Nagapattinam, Namakkal and the Nilgiris. Stating that 48,372 km roads were improved and 2,095 bridges built at a cost of Rs 25,392 crores in the last five years, she said another Rs 11,367 crore works were still under way.

As part of the government’s measures to boost irrigation facilities, she said works including the construction of check dams, bed dams and shutters in water sources had been finished at Rs 3,188.50 crore in the last five years, Jayalalithaa said. 

Announcing this under Rule 110, she said another 282 dam-related works costing Rs 864.31 crore were underway. To prevent seepage and ensure water reaching tail-end areas, the government would spend a total of Rs 50 crore to link Mettur dam’s east bank canal for 58 km and the west bank canal for 13.92 km, she added.

Strengthening the 700-year-old Kalingarayan channel from Bhavani river would be carried out by lining both banks and constructing a baby canal where the channel enters Erode at an estimated Rs 36.75 crore. the CM said this would prevent both seepage and effluents from tanneries and dyeing units entering the channel. Also six dams and its distributaries and 10 lakes in Omalur and Salem West areas would be improved at a cost of Rs 15 crore. Similarly, the banks of the Varaganadhi would also be strengthened. Likewise, a Rs 10 crore check dam would be built across the Vaigai near Thirubhuvanam town panchayat in Sivaganga district, the CM said.

Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa explained to the Opposition as to why she has been making many new announcements under Rule 110 in the State Legislative Assembly.

Replying to Leader of the Opposition M K Stalin (DMK), she said the same query was raised by the previous opposition too. “Ideas about various schemes would not strike the government at a single point of time. If that was possible, the previous DMK government could have implemented so many schemes. Why they did not do it? As far as we are concerned, all 24 hours we are thinking about the people only. We are planning various schemes for their welfare all the time. 

Hence, announcements about schemes, which did not strike us when the Minister made the announcements during the demand for grants, were made by me today (Friday). This is happening in each department,” she added. Earlier, DMK and Congress MLAs staged a walkout from the Assembly on Friday stating that Speaker P Dhanapal did not allow them to question the practice of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa routinely making announcements under Section 110 of the Assembly Rules. 

Outside the House, Opposition leader M K Stalin said that ministers earlier used Section 110 only during emergency situations. “However, Jayalalithaa has made announcements about Public Works and Highways departments though grants to these departments were passed after debate in the Assembly earlier. So, where does the money come from for the new schemes being announced. When Durai Murugan raised this point, the Speaker refused him permission to talk,” Stalin said.