Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari on Friday appealed to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to intervene and review all road projects in Tamil Nadu and ensure better co-operation between the State and his Ministry.
“We are facing major problems in Tamil Nadu. Our work has stopped. Through this programme, I request the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to review all road projects and cooperate with us,” the Minister said in his special address at the BusinessLine Countdown to Budget 2022.
Road development projects (National Highways) in Tamil Nadu had hit a roadblock due to problems like sourcing aggregate material and forest clearances, he said. “There is no money shortage. We are ready to give ₹1,000 crore to Tamil Nadu and develop all types of road project,” he added.
Responding to a question on the lack of major road projects in the South, the Minister said, “In Tamil Nadu, we are not getting different types of aggregate [material] for construction. They are giving us permission for three months, and for another three months. In a bureaucratic system, this never works. That’s why the work has stopped. We have already requested the Minister, the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary to sort out the issues. If the cooperation is good from the State’s side, I am assuring [you] that I will give a lot of priority to the development of road infrastructure in Tamil Nadu.”
“In Kerala, there are problems with land acquisition. However, the Chief Minister is very proactive, and is taking a lot of decisions and helping the NHAI,” he said. “We are now giving a lot of projects to Kerala. In Karnataka also, we are doing a lot of projects. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, we have sanctioned many projects, including the Hyderabad-Chennai highway. In South India, there are a lot of projects,” he added.
Stating that he was keen on working with the Tamil Nadu government, Mr. Gadkari recalled the work done earlier.
“When I was the Shipping Minister, I developed the ports in Tuticorin and Chennai. We were working on the Chennai Port-Maduravoyal elevated corridor project to resolve the traffic problem in Chennai. We are ready for that, but we need cooperation from the State government,” he said. “Without that, we cannot do it. When the Central government is ready to fund road projects, let us resolve the small issues and we can see 100% change in the total infrastructure of Tamil Nadu, which is the fastest-growing State in the country. Lots of industrial development is there; exports will increase and create more employment potential. I am very much positive and support it,” he added.
