RAMANATHAPURAM: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials have started work on aligning the four-lane road between Madurai and Dhanuskodi. The four-lane road is being widened between Madurai and Muhuntharayar Chattiram near Dhanushkodi.
This is expected to reduce road accidents and the distance between Madurai and Rameswaram island without disturbing the regular road traffic along important towns on the way. The government had decided to streamline the road traffic on NH 49 for the free flow of vehicles.
The road works would be carried out on 185km between Silaiman on the outskirts of Madurai and Muhundarayar Chattiram and would pass along 63 villages in the districts of Madurai, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram. The government has to acquire 773 hectares of land to implement the project which would have five by-pass roads including those at Paramakudi and Ramanathapuram to prevent traffic congestion along NH 49.
The government has constituted eight units in Ramanathapuram, Sivagangai and Madurai to acquire the land for the project, comprising 13 staff including one tahsildar, an assistant, a revenue inspector, and two deputy surveyors.
An official source told Express that the NHAI had completed the alignment works and it has to issue land plan certificates for acquisition of lands. The compensation amount for lands would be decided by the NHAI.