Durai Vaiko urges Centre to bear cost of land acquisition for building service lanes on Tiruchi-Thanjavur national highway

With the continuing stalemate over building service lanes along the city stretch of the Tiruchi-Thanjavur National Highway, the Tiruchi Member of Parliament Durai Vaiko has requested the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to come forward to bear the land acquisition costs for the project.

In a representation submitted to Mr. Gadkari in New Delhi on Friday, Mr. Durai Vaiko drew the Minister’s attention to the ‘long-pending and critical need’ for the construction of service lanes between Palpannai and Thuvakudi along the highway.

The four-lane highway was laid in 2009 without a service road. However, over the past decade, Tiruchi city has undergone rapid urbanisation with significant increase in population. The highway is now an arterial road connecting major districts, he pointed out.

Due to the sharp increase in traffic and in the absence of service lanes, the region was witnessing alarming levels of congestion accidents. “According to official data, from 2011 to 2025, 417 people have lost their lives in road accidents on this stretch,” Mr. Durai Vaiko said and expressed apprehensions that the numbers could rise further unless immediate action was taken.

The State government had issued an order in August 2011 approving the construction of the service road and sanctioned ₹84.5 crore. However central support was crucial for the project as the estimate for land acquisition is now put at ₹618.20 crore, he said and urged the Minister to allocate the remaining ₹533.70 crore to enable the construction of the service lanes and prevent further loss of lives.