The Madras High Court has upheld the petitions of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to go ahead with the 107-km Tiruchi-Karaikudi highway project spread across three districts in south and central Tamil Nadu.
The Rs 374-crore project is being implemented by the private concessionaire, Transstroy Tiruchi-Karaikudi Tollways Pvt Ltd, on the build-operate-transfer basis.
In the order passed on Monday, covering three separate petitions by the NHAI, the High Court quashed the Tamil Nadu Public Works Department’s (PWD) orders stopping work on the project on grounds that the alignment of the road impacts water bodies.
The stop-work notices issued by the PWD initially stalled the project running through Tiruchi, Pudukottai and Sivagangai and linking National Highways – NH-67, NH-45B, NH-210, and NH-45.
However, according to petitioner’s sources, the NHAI had obtained an interim injunction early last year to be able to continue with the project, which also involves establishing new bypass for major cities and towns – Tiruchi, Keeranur, Pudukottai, Thirumayam and Karaikudi.
The High Court’s order allowing the NHAI’s petition clears the final bottleneck in the project.
At the time of going to court, the NHAI pointed out that 65 per cent of the project, coming up under the third phase of the National Highways Development Project, has been completed and Rs 275 crore spent after the project was taken up with clearances from statutory authorities at the Centre and support of the State Government.
While allowing NHAI to complete the project, the High Court said it should preserve the water bodies, and if any desilting or restoration is required, its should carry out the work and bear the expenditure.