TIRUCHY: The city corporation’s proposal from last September to shift the flower market in Srirangam’s Sathara Veedhi to North Devi Street and ease traffic congestion has been shelved owing to the civic body’s financial situation, officials said.
They, however, expressed hope of reviving the proposal within the next four months. "We have not dropped the project. We have put it on hold due to the financial crunch. We are already considering some major works in Srirangam and the flower market project would be included in them.
Once we get the funds from the state government, we would start work on the flower market project," a senior corporation official said. While sources said that the corporation is planning development works to the tune of Rs 200 crore in Srirangam owing to it being a major pilgrim spot, they declined to share further details citing pending approval.
Meanwhile, among the projects planned for Srirangam, the corporation’s priority is to complete the construction of the bus stand within a year, sources said. Last month, soil testing was carried out on the land parcel of one acre earmarked for the Srirangam bus stand. "We are glad that the corporation has decided to construct a bus stand in Srirangam.
The flower market project, however, also deserves high priority as it is one of the long-pending demands of the residents. In fact, we have been demanding it for the last 10 years. We hope the current administration takes steps to avoid further delay of the project and starts work at the earliest," said M Saravanan of Srirangam.