SUBURBS GET THEIR DUE: The pedestrian subway at Pallavaram built by the National Highways Authority of India was inaugurated on Saturday. — Photo : A. Muralitharan

CHENNAI: The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam posed obstacles for development works when it was in power and continued to do so even now, Local Administration Minister M.K. Stalin said.

Speaking after inaugurating the pedestrian subway at Pallavaram built by the National Highways Authority of India, he said even now, the Works Committee of the Chennai Corporation attempted to prevent the present Government from resuming work on the Perambur road overbridge.

However, Mr. Stalin said the work would commence soon. He recalled that when the Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam was in power between 1996 and 2001, they had built a number of road overbridges well ahead of schedule. But work at the Perambur overbridge was not completed due to some technical problems.

Instead of completing the remaining work, the AIADMK Government neglected it for five years. And when the DMK returned to power, the main opposition party tried to prevent them from completing it, Mr. Stalin alleged. He said work on four other bridges in different parts of the city would also commence very soon.

And similarly, the AIADMK posed obstacles again resulting in work at the pedestrian subway at Pallavaram getting delayed. Work commenced in late 2004 on pedestrian subways at Alandur, Pallavaram and Tambaram and was completed at Alandur and Tambaram. But as the Pallavaram Municipality failed to hand over 100 square metres of land, the subway could not be completed. Soon after the DMK came to power, necessary orders were passed following a Court order and it was completed immediately.

Among other issues, Mr. Stalin said people should extend their cooperation whenever government schemes were being implemented. "You have elected good governments at the Centre and State. In order to ensure that government policies reach the people properly and funds allotted for welfare schemes are properly spent, local bodies should be in our hands," Mr. Stalin said, adding, "You should continue to stand by us."

The subway is 30.1 metres long and has been built using box-pushing technique at a cost of Rs.2.48 crore.

Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T.R. Baalu, who presided over the function, announced that similar pedestrian subways would be constructed at Meenambakkam and Chromepet in a year's time at an estimated cost of Rs.8 crore. Work on improvement of National Highway 45 would commence in a week's time, he said.

Mr. Baalu earlier took part in a function at Adambakkam to dedicate Rs.2.47 crore worth of development works to the Alandur Municipality.

He said the underground drainage project here had become very popular in developing countries as it involved participation from the Government, the private sector and the public. Municipal chairman

R.S. Bharathi said the project was an example of how public participation could help in improving infrastructure.

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