2 Bridges Inaugurated
Highways Minister M.P. Swaminathan said at Pollachi in the district on Sunday that the State Government was focussed on improving the condition of roads. A proof of this was that 42,335 km of roads had been re-laid at Rs.6,957 crore in various parts of the State over the last two-and-a-half years. The Minister was presiding over a function at which Rural Industries Minister Pongalur N. Palanisamy inaugurated two bridges – one constructed at Rs.3 crore across River Aliyar at Attupollachi and the other on Anamalai Road at Rs.3.90 crore.
Mr. Swaminathan said Tamil Nadu totally had 62,000 km of highways that came under the control of the Union and State Governments. Of the 4,200 km of National Highways that had been maintained by the State Government, 3,200 km had been handed over to the National Highways Authority of India. These were being converted into four-lane and six-lane stretches. Apart from these works, 10,000 km of single lane roads in the State were being made into two-lane stretches following a policy decision taken by the Government. Works on only 500 km were to be completed.
Distributing colour television sets after inaugurating the bridges, Mr. Palanisamy said Tamil Nadu led in the construction of bridges and providing the needed infrastructure across the State. The Minister said world class infrastructure was needed for a country’s economic and also overall development. A number of villages in the Attupollachi area and along Anamalai Road would benefit immensely from the bridges opened on Sunday.
The free colour television scheme was specially drawn up for the poor in the State. So far, 65 lakh families had been provided with television sets. Efforts were on to give these to another 45 lakh families. The welfare schemes and the projects for infrastructure pointed at the Government’s resolve to bring about all-round development in the State, he said. District Collector V. Palanikumar and Congress legislator from Valparai Kovai Thangam were among those who spoke.
