City ring road to be opened by yearend

Replying to the debate on grants to the highways minor ports, irrigation and PWD departments, he said 36 works estimated at Rs.400 crore had been completed in Chennai corporation’s extended areas. This was part of the works taken up under the leadership of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa at a cost of Rs.1033 crore, he added.  

Stating that 8 flyovers in the city had been completed, he said that the Tiruvottriyur railway overbridge would be completed in two weeks, while efforts were underway to complete ongoing flyover works at Kilkattalai, Pallavaram, Velachery, Medavakkam and Kolathur. 

On the highway front, he said the central government had in principle agreed to upgrading 902 km state highways to national highways, while under the minor ports category, the state had realised a revenue of Rs.36 crore through handling 646 containers and 11.69 lakh metric tonnes goods and 283 vehicles in the last financial year. 

A total of Rs.35 crore was spent to construct check dams in 75 locations and dams in 10 locations as part of a threeyear Rs. 1000 crore scheme to construct channels to irrigation tanks from rivers and check dams to augment water sources, EPS said. 

Similarly a detailed project report was being prepared to desilt the Vaigai, Mettur, Pechiparai, and Amaravathi dams, EPS added. This year the Srivaikuntam dam would be desilted at a cost of Rs.5.93 crore, he averred. 

Meanwhile, a detailed project report for the Avinashi-Athikadavu irrigation scheme, estimated at Rs.3523 crore, was forwarded to the Central Water Authority. The scheme envisages use of excess water from the Bhavani river for use in Coimbatore, Erode and Tirupur districts, in addition to 40 panchayat union ponds and 630 tanks, he said. 

The scheme was allotted Rs.250 crore in the current year, he added. Similarly, while work on the Rs.40 crore desilting of the Veeranam lake was progressing, clearance from the forest department was awaited to improve the water holding capacity of the Parapalaru irrigation tank which was estimated at Rs.19.50 crore, the chief minister said. 

Moreover, a detailed project report costing Rs.2.83 crore would be prepared this year for the construction of 11 railway bridges in 9 districts at a cost of Rs.529.39 crore, the chief minister said.