COIMBATORE: The expansion work of the Madukkarai Marappalam railway underpass on the Palakkad road has been halted again amid blame game by the State Highways Department and the Palakkad Railway Division.
Railway officials said the state highways department of the Tamil Nadu government has not shifted the drinking water pipeline and the electricity lines crossing the area where the work is scheduled due to the delay in obtaining administrative sanction from the state government.
However, highways department officials claim they can settle the issue easily even without the administrative sanction and pointed fingers at the railway officials who could not get their departmental approval for the underpass plan drawing.
Responding to public demand, the work to widen the underpass began in May after traffic was diverted. However, locals have alleged that the work was progressing at a slow pace, and now it has been put on hold for the last three months. The delay in the work has hit the traffic on the Coimbatore-Palakkad road, a major link between Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The existing two-lane underpass is to be expanded as part of the four-laning of the Palakkad road. To achieve this, the State Highways Department needs to acquire 4,700 square metres of land on both sides of the bridge. The land acquisition alone will require about Rs 17 crore, and the remaining funds from the total estimate of Rs 102.3 cr are needed to enhance road connectivity on both sides.
The underpass will be constructed with large retaining walls on both sides in a rectangular shape, with the top covered by railway tracks. The railway portion will extend approximately 82 metres, and the Highways Department will develop about 750 m on both sides, according to the officials.
The Highways Department has sent a proposal to obtain Administrative Sanction (AS) for fund allocation, including for the expansion and land acquisition. And it has been forwarded for approval from the Commissionerate of Land Administration (CLA). The process will take off once the special District Revenue Officer of Coimbatore district submits the report, said sources.
Meanwhile, the Railways has asked the highways department to shift the water pipelines and electricity lines from the private lands that are earmarked for the expansion. "The water pipeline shifting work needs around Rs 21 lakh. We cannot do anything without the administrative sanction and fund allocation. The district administration has advised the Madukkarai Municipality to bear the charges for pipeline shifting and electricity line shifting without the land owner's NOC. We have been taking efforts to complete the work with available resources despite the delay in getting the Administrative Sanction for the project. We expect to carry out these works before the Railways obtains approval for their design," said sources from the highways department.