One of the long-pending infrastructure demands of the city seems to be taking shape as land acquisition is expected to start for the western bypass road.
The western bypass road – from Sugunapuram to Narasimhanaikenpalayam – was announced by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in 2011 and the government had sanctioned Rs. 1 crore to prepare the detailed project reports for the road and for construction of flyover at Ukkadam. On March 4 this year, the State Government issued orders granting administrative sanction for acquisition of land for the western bypass road project. Of the 355.91 acres to be acquired, 50.65 acres is government land. The remaining land will be acquired from private land holders.
It is learnt that the need for such a road was mooted in the 1980s and the alignment was changed in 2012.
While progress on the project was a welcome move, it was coming more than four years after the announcement by the Chief Minister. The sanction given now could have been granted earlier and the project would have taken shape by now. The extraordinary delay showed on the lethargy on the side of the administration, alleged K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause.
However, the decision to complete land acquisition first and sanctioning funds for the same is a welcome move as several infrastructure projects are stalled because of problems in land acquisition.
Going forward, the government should permit the public to purchase lands located on the previous alignment (area frozen on the old alignment should be de-frozen by the Local Planning Authority and the registration departments).
It should then notify the current alignment so that the public will not be able to purchase land on this stretch.
In an effort to give a thrust to the project at least now, a separate DRO should be appointed for the land acquisition and a time frame should be announced for completing it, he added.
The western bypass road – from Sugunapuram to Narasimhanaikenpalayam – was announced by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in 2011 and the government had sanctioned Rs. 1 crore to prepare the detailed project reports for the road and for construction of flyover at Ukkadam. On March 4 this year, the State Government issued orders granting administrative sanction for acquisition of land for the western bypass road project. Of the 355.91 acres to be acquired, 50.65 acres is government land. The remaining land will be acquired from private land holders.
It is learnt that the need for such a road was mooted in the 1980s and the alignment was changed in 2012.
While progress on the project was a welcome move, it was coming more than four years after the announcement by the Chief Minister. The sanction given now could have been granted earlier and the project would have taken shape by now. The extraordinary delay showed on the lethargy on the side of the administration, alleged K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause.
However, the decision to complete land acquisition first and sanctioning funds for the same is a welcome move as several infrastructure projects are stalled because of problems in land acquisition.
Going forward, the government should permit the public to purchase lands located on the previous alignment (area frozen on the old alignment should be de-frozen by the Local Planning Authority and the registration departments).
It should then notify the current alignment so that the public will not be able to purchase land on this stretch.
In an effort to give a thrust to the project at least now, a separate DRO should be appointed for the land acquisition and a time frame should be announced for completing it, he added.