Nitin Gadkari flags off Rs 33,000 crore infrastructural projects for Tamil Nadu
Kanyakumari: Nitin Gadkari, Union minister for road transport, highways and shipping, declared the sanctioning of infrastructural projects that include the Colachel port project to the tune of around Rs 33,000 crore to Tamil Nadu and gave his cabinet colleague and the lone BJP Parliament member from Tamil Nadu, Pon Radhakrishnan, the choice to decide a few more projects in consultation with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa for an additional Rs 17,000 crore so as to bring the allocation from the Union ministry of road transport, highways and shipping, Rs 50,000 crore to the state.
Laying the foundation stone for four-laning of several roads in Kanyakumari district, construction of flyovers at Parvathipuram and Marthandam on NH 47 at an estimated cost of Rs 286.95 crore and four-laning of the Avinashi-Tiruppur-Aninashipalayam section of NH 381 for a length of 31.800 km at an estimated cost of Rs 162.72 crore at a function in Marthandam on Tuesday, the Union minister said that his ministry had already sanctioned 39 projects that are to be announced soon at Rs 12,000 crore to Tamil Nadu.
He added that 9 more projects worth Rs 12,500 crore for the state are underway at the DPR preparation stage.
Responding to Pon Radhakishnan’s demand for flyovers at Chettikulam, Oluginaseri, Thakkalai and Vadaseri in Kanyakumari district, Nitin Gadkari said that these four flyovers have already been sanctioned at a total cost of Rs 300 crore. In addition, his ministry had decided to sanction 11 out of the 250 railway overbridges planned in the country to Tamil Nadu at a cost of Rs 550 crore.
Nitin Gadkari also declared upgradation of 9 state highways including Karaikudi—Pattukottai-Thanjavur, Perambalur-Athoor road, Salem-Uthakudi-Thirupathur, Thiruvannamalai-Kallakurichi, Valliyoor-Tiruchendur for a total distance of 700 km at a estimated cost of Rs 7,000 crore. He promised to lay the foundation stone for the Colachel port work with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as chief guest in Kanyakumari by March this year.
