CHENNAI: Amid stiff resistance from a section of land owners in Tiruvallur district, the tendering process to award a contract to build a 116.5 km Chittoor-Thatchur six-lane expressway has reached its final stage.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) recently chose the contractors who quoted the lowest price, and is expected to issue orders to begin the work soon, official sources said.
The new greenfield project is proposed as part of the Bengaluru-Chennai express highway, facilitating direct connectivity from Bengaluru to Kamarajar (Ennore) and Kattupalli ports, skipping Chennai city. It was proposed under the Bharatmala Pariyojana project and estimated to cost Rs 3,197.6 crore.
About 75 km of the proposed road runs through Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, and 41.5 km through Tiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu.
The revised highway alignment starts at Keenatampalli near Chittoor at the 152-km mark of the proposed Bengaluru-Chennai expressway, and ends at Thatchur, near Ponneri and Ennore.
The highway joins the proposed 133 km Mamallapuram-Ennore Port Chennai Peripheral Ring Road (CPRR) at Kannigaipair, thereby providing a direct link to the Ennore Port.
The access-controlled expressway will be fenced on both sides and designed for vehicles to travel at 100 kmph.
It will be 70 m wide, with six-lane carriageways. Sources from the NHAI said the project has been divided into four parts, and contracts are being awarded to the lowest bidders.
“After the pending paperwork, orders will be issued to begin the civil work,” said an official.
885.5 hectares are required for the project, of which 525 hectares are in Aandhra Pradesh and 360.5 are in Tamil Nadu.
‘Will rob farmers of livelihood’
The road will cross 30 villages in Uthukottai and Pallipattu taluks in Tiruvallur district.
Farmers from 26 villages strongly oppose the project, saying it would run through their fertile lands, and acquisition of this land would destroy their livelihood.
They even formed a coordination committee to protest. “We are in the final stage of releasing compensation to the land owners,” said an official