VELLORE: "The Chennai-Salem eight-lane expressway project will not take off if people oppose it," Union Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways, and Civil Aviation VK Singh said in Vellore on Sunday.
Funds have been sanctioned for the project but we won't start the work until we get 90 per cent land. However, if people have a problem with that, the project will not take off, Singh told reporters after chairing a meeting with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office bearers.
At the meeting, we reviewed the ongoing works concerning roads, highways, and transport in Tamil Nadu. And also discussed ways to work for the party's growth in the state and welfare of its workers, Singh said.
When asked about Tamil Nadu government's appeal to remove expired toll gates, Singh said that there are tolling procedures we follow in consonance with the rule. But we are hoping to remove all the toll structures in the next two years and replace them with 'electronic tolling', which means vehicles will automatically be logged at entry and exit points while passing through the area and the amount will be deducted with respect to the number of kilometres travelled by a passenger.
Regarding the 'green airport' project, Singh said two places have been identified and the State government has been informed to select one of the sites they see fit for development. Accordingly, we will initiate further steps such as carrying out field inspections and preparing detailed reports.
The Minister for State also said a new integrated terminal is under construction at Chennai Airport and it will come into operation very soon. When asked about the status of Vellore Airport, Singh said works are being carried out as per plan.