The Union government has flagged some critical issues in the implementation of the ongoing and sanctioned projects of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Tamil Nadu. It has called for the intervention of Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu for an early and permanent solution.
In a note, Giridhar Aramane, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, said the non-availability of borrow earth was the most critical issue faced by contractors. Referring to 45 ongoing and awarded projects, spanning over 1,572 km, that were delayed by the non-availability of borrow earth for want of permission from the district administration, he said 8.7 crore cubic metres of earth was required to take up embankment.
“With the present system of granting permission by the State government, I am afraid, it would not be possible to complete these projects in the near future as many of them are already running behind schedule. I again seek your intervention to find a permanent solution to this most critical issue,” Mr. Aramane said, citing two letters which he had sent to Mr. Irai Anbu in September and December last.
