CHENNAI: The government is mulling over extending the metro rail project up to Tambaram, called the gateway to the city.
Revealing this at the inauguration of the 2,200-m long Pallavaram road-overbridge (ROB), built at a cost of Rs 55crore, Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin here on Friday said he would consider former Union minister T R Baalu's request for the extension and would speak to Chief Minister Karunanidhi and top government officials.
Stalin, who pointed out the efforts put in in designing the metro rail, said the DMK government was committed to infrastructure development. But, he was quick to add that there was a lot of opposition from antidevelopment forces. "You know who these forces are,'' he said.
He also "requested'' Sriperumbudur MP T B Baalu to give an assurance that there would not be any agitation against the project, if it materialised.
The ROB will divert traffic towards the IT corridor and the Old Mahabalipuram Road and will offer connectivity to the airport and South Chennai. The DMK government approved the project in 2000, but the work on the government-railway joint venture started only in April 2004, at a then estimated cost of `20 crore. The work was further delayed and new contractor assigned the work for Rs 44.50 crore, which further escalated close to Rs 55 crore. The deputy CM also distributed a revolving fund of Rs18.13 crore for 2,450 women's selfhelp groups.
State Highways Minister Vellakoil Saminathan, Labour Minister T M Anbarasan, Pallavaram municipal chairman E Karunanidhi, Kancheepuram Collector Ashish Chatterjee and top railway officials were also present.