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PM to lay expressway foundation stone on Nov 30

Prime Minister A B Vajpayee will lay the foundation stone for the proposed six-lane expressway from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, covering a distance of 7,000 kilometres, at a function in Bangalore on November 30, Union Surface Transport Minister M Thambidurai said on Sunday.

The PM will also dedicate to the nation the newly laid four-lane road between Bangalore and Hosur.

The surface transport ministry has identified 20 centres, including Hosur, Dharmapuri, Salem, and Karur, for implementing the expressway project, the minister said.

Thambidurai said the Karur-Salem bypass, proposed to be developed as a four-lane road, will now be converted into a six-lane road.

The expressway project will be implemented on a 'build, operate, transfer' basis. The government is receiving inquiries even from abroad for participation in the proposed project, he said.

To a question, Thambidurai said the government had identified 13,500 km of road for evolving a six-lane expressway system at an estimated cost of Rs 1.25 trillion. The funds will be mobilised through the central road fund, levy of additional cess on diesel and petrol, and loans from various financial institutions, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

Thambidurai said state governments should consider bringing in legislation to develop the road network to promote trade and commerce.

Denying Union Minister of State for Surface Transport Debendra Pradhan's allegation that he (Thambidurai) had wilfully refused to allocate any responsibilities to him, he said most of the files pertaining to his ministry come to him through Pradhan.

To a question, he said Rs 4.08 billion had been allocated during the Ninth Plan for developing inland water transportation in the country. Besides, it is proposed to develop an IWT network from the Buckingham Canal in Madras to Ongole in Andhra Pradesh.

The Rs 2.10 billion project will be entrusted to the private sector, he added.

He said the environmental ministry has cleared the Rs 25 billion 'Sethu Samuthiram' project after including Dhanushkodi in it. The preliminary works will start next year.

He said it is also proposed to develop Tuticorin as a major international port, with facilities to handle container traffic and big vessels. At present, the big vessels are routed to Colombo.

UNI

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