COIMBATORE: The construction of a rail overbridge (ROB) at SIHS colony, which was stalled midway for the past ten years, has resumed and highways department officials started clearing encroachments to lay service roads.
The ROB between Ondipudur and SIHS colony was announced by former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi in November 2010 for an outlay of Rs 19.24 crore.
Tenders were called for and the State Highways Department (Nabard) planned to start the work.
However, after the regime change in 2011, the works were halted. The project was revived in 2013 and the budget was revised to Rs 21.16 crore. But land acquisition for the service road became an issue. As landowners moved for legal proceedings, the project was put on hold. Though the department completed 70% of the work, including 90% of the bridge construction, it was delayed due to negotiation in land acquisitions.
As the bridge (30 feet) was constructed without allocating enough space for the service roads, the landowners approached Madras High Court. Due to this reason, construction was stopped midway for the past 10 years.
Based on the court’s direction, the department started to lay roads after settling the compensation to the land owners, sources added.
In September 2021, after DMK formed the government, it allocated Rs 29.4 crore more for the land acquisition process, said officials.
“A sum of Rs 29.37 crore was allotted for land acquisition and we have settled the compensation of Rs 28.37 crore to all 63 land owners in the past six months. We have now started demolishing constructions on both sides of the bridge to lay service roads. The project will be completed within a year,” said an official from the highways department.
A total of 3,860 sq m of land has been acquired. The amount for the land owners was also calculated and credited to their bank account. A sum of Rs 7 crore has been kept aside for the rest of the work on the bridge. The problem that has been dragging on for the last ten years has been resolved,” the official added.