Elevated corridor project from Port to Maduravoyal to resume by month end

According to NHAI officials, they have prepared the first blueprint in which the distance of expressway was 9 km, starting from Maduravoyal to Port through heart of the city and cost was also half from the existing one. However, this was abandoned as more residential areas were likely to be affected.  Later, they charted the second blueprint in which the distance was increased to 19 km, but the Cooum river was targeted. But, the state government did not provide environmental clearance certificate for long years. 

“We terminated the contracting agency due to delay in getting approval from the state. However, we were asked to revive the project recently after little modification in the blueprint,” said an official, NHAI.  The state government also asked the NHAI to remove some pillars along the Cooum.

MG Devasagayam, an urban development expert and former civil servant, says “The long-pending project is a clear indication that the officials are not planning enough to execute such a big project. A huge amount of money was already wasted in the name of this project.” 

He added that the state government could take stock of the situation and issue clearance certificate after proper inspections. Pon Radhakrishnan, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, already said “Since this is a big project, discussions with various stakeholders including experts, NHAI, SH and Port officials are on. There is a high possibility for the officials to start the project by the end of January,”.