NH works hit roadblock due to contractors’ delay

An unusually high number of National Highway projects in the State is hanging in balance – some stalled for a decade already – which is blamed on a range of reasons including lack of coordination between the State and Centre, delay in getting environmental clearance and completing land acquisitions, and the long wait to appoint contractors. 

Notwithstanding the specific reason, the inordinate delay in completing each of these projects is affecting both the general public and also cargo movement through important trade corridors.

Among the stalled projects are the Chennai-Tada six-lane highway project, which commenced in 2009, but is far from being completed.

In the same year, the National Highways Authority of India had commenced works to build an elevated expressway from Chennai Port to Maduravoyal in the outskirts. 

However, beyond the pillars that now occupy a substantial space right in the middle of the road – and also along the banks of Cooum river – there is little to show of what was once touted as a key project.

The Chennai-Tirupati Highway (CTH) project has made little headway since works began way back in 2013. Another project, the Chennai-Bengaluru expressway, met the same end. This is not all. The other projects that are stalled include Nagapattinam-Thoothukudi coastal road, the road connecting Mahabalipuram and Puducherry, Chennai-Salem greenfield alignment, Thachur-Chittoor Road along the State’s border with Andhra Pradesh and the ring road in Madurai.

These are crucial corridors that were to help ease the flow of vehicular traffic and also handle a substantial volume of cargo traffic. The key projects among the latter are Nagapattinam-Thoothukudi coastal road, port connectivity roads in and around Chennai, parts of Chennai-Kurnool Economic Corridor, Coimbatore-Thanjavur inter corridor road, and also the Chennai-Salem expressway which has been put on hold after opposition from locals and pending court cases

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This has earned the ire of the motorists who are unhappy with the lack of progress, which has led to traffic bottleneck on busy stretches causing severe inconvenience for them.

“The approach roads that connect these stalled projects are choked with traffic. Also, there are instances where the highways have refused to relay the road till the completion of the project. Until then, the road users are forced to endure the bad condition,” said Rama Rao, the project director of Traffic and Transportation Forum.

It also has unexpected cascading effect. One instance is along Medavakkam High Road where the city Corporation has constructed the stormwater drain in a piecemeal manner after the highway project became stalled.

“The contractors are deliberately prolonging the works. They are holding on to the unutilised money,” alleged S Yuvaraj, the working president of Tamil Nadu State Sand Lorry Owners Federation. 

Listing some of the projects, he cited 96-km Vanagaram-Walajapet Road that remains incomplete for the past six years, and the Rs 350-crore Tada project that was abandoned midway.

“The contractors are doing it purposefully. Land acquisition could be one of the problems, but it cannot be the only reason. The government can reassign the contract for expediting the work,” he said. 

Yuvaraj added that incomplete projects were responsible for numerous road mishaps across the State, seeking to government to hold the project director and others involved in the project responsible for these casualties.

However, according to an industry insider, it is the perceived political instability that is causing hurdles for the highway projects in the State. “The shortage of earth has affected almost all the bypass projects – worth Rs 10,000 crore. From filling to stone formation, it is an important component to carry out works,” added the person.

Meanwhile, an official source from NHAI said land acquisition problems was another knotty issue. “The other problem is that the construction industry suffered a major setback in the past few years. Due to the piling up of debts, many contractors had a tough time to make headway. In the case of a few projects, work was assigned to new contractors; they will resume soon,” said the senior official.

Due to this, the official added, they have now decided to keep land acquisition as the last option in any development projects in the future.