Date:09/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/09/stories/2009010961080100.htm

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Road development should be inclusive, holistic: Manmohan

T. Ramakrishnan

Foundation laid for Chennai Port-Maduravoyal elevated corridor project

Karunanidhi demands expeditious completion of the Sethusamudram project
It will protect the interests of Tamils and increase the State’s resources, he says

— Photo: V. Ganesan

SHARING A POINT: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at the foundation stone laying function of the elevated corridor project in Chennai on Thursday.

CHENNAI: The road development programme should adopt an inclusive and holistic approach to bring benefits to many instead of a few, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday.

Referring to the rehabilitation and resettlement component of the Rs.1,655-crore Chennai Port-Maduravoyal elevated corridor project, Dr. Singh said 12,000 families of the weaker sections, especially slum dwellers, would be rehabilitated by providing them with alternative shelters. The State government and the Chennai Port Trust had agreed to share equally the cost of land acquisition and rehabilitation and resettlement.

Laying the foundation for the project at Maduravoyal near here, Dr. Singh said: “This project shows that constructing modern highways in urban areas must be organically linked to local development, city planning and landscaping and livelihood opportunities for the weaker sections. I am very happy that the Government of Tamil Nadu, under the leadership of … Chief Minister Dr. Kalaignar Karunanidhi, is paying special attention to all these aspects.”

Noting that the Centre had initiated a programme for four-laning of more than 12,000 km through public-private partnership under Phase III of the National Highways Development Programme (NHDP), the Prime Minister said the government had also approved construction of 1,000 km of expressways under Phase-VI and construction of ring roads, flyovers and bypasses on selected stretches under Phase-VII. The projects were expected to be completed by 2015.

Expressing the government’s intention of encouraging private sector participation in road development through more incentives and facilities, he said all future projects under the NHDP would be executed through the PPP mode.

As for the progress of highway projects in Tamil Nadu, Dr. Singh said the entire stretch of the Golden Quadrilateral and Phase-I of the NHDP to a length of 342 km had been completed. The stretches were being taken up for six-laning. The stretch of the North-South Corridor for 756 km was nearing completion.

Dr. Singh referred to the government’s stimulus packages for the economy and said the government and the Reserve Bank of India had taken several steps to reduce interest rate and increase credit flow for infrastructure, housing and industry.

Mr. Karunanidhi forcefully made out a case for the expeditious completion of the Sethusamudram project. He sought the Prime Minister’s support for its smooth execution.

Referring to opposition from some parties to the project, he said that though such a stand might favour the Sri Lankan government, the project ought to be completed as it would protect the interests of Tamils here and increase the resources of the State. The Chief Minister recalled that in June 2006, within a month of his assuming office, he wrote to the Prime Minister, urging him to approve the elevated corridor project.

G.K. Vasan, Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation; T.R. Baalu, Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways; K.V. Thangkabalu, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president; and A. Raja, Union Communications Minister, participated.