Survey for land acquisition for Package II of link road between Panjapur and Kudamuriti under way

An elevated stretch is planned to be built near Karumandapam on Tiruchi-Dindigul highway as part of the link road between Panjapur and Kudamuriti.
| Photo Credit: M. MOORTHY

A detailed survey to measure and evaluate the requisite land and acquire the same for initiating work on Package II of the 9.9-km link road from Panjapur to Kudamuriti river is under way.

The link road will be developed along the banks of the Koraiyar and Kudamuriti rivers to connect the upcoming Integrated Bus Terminus in Panjapur with various residential areas of the city.

The project will be executed by the Tiruchi Corporation in three packages: Panjapur to Kasilingam bridge, Allithurai to MGR statue, and Kuzhumayee Amman temple to Kudamuriti river. The entire project is expected to cost around ₹340 crore.

Of the three phases, Package II, the road between Allithurai and the MGR statue, requires around nine acres of land acquisition. A detailed survey to measure the required land and evaluate it is being carried out by the revenue authorities and notices would then be served to landowners. Demand for surveyors is said to be delaying the process.

“The plan is to acquire the land through direct negotiated purchase and the process is expected to be completed by March. After this, a proposal will be submitted for getting administrative and technical sanctions. Subsequently, tenders will be floated for Package II,” said a senior Corporation official.

The road between Allithurai and the MGR statue will be about 5.8-km long and is estimated at ₹190 crore. Funds will be sourced soon, and since it involves land acquisition, additional funds would be required to offer compensation, the official added.

Bids under scrutiny

Meanwhile, tenders for both Package I and III were floated a few months ago and the bids were under scrutiny. A sum of ₹81.72 crore was sanctioned under the 15th Finance Commission Grant, Corporation Fund 2024-25 and Sustainable Municipal Infrastructure Finance – Tamil Nadu Phase III (SMIF-TN-III) to develop Package I of the link road from Panjapur to Kasilingam bridge, which is 2 km.

For Package III of the project, from Kuzhumayee Amman temple to Kudamuriti river, which is about 2.1 km, ₹68 crore was sanctioned under the State Urban Infrastructure Development Fund 2024-25 (SUIDF) to develop the link road. Work on both Package I and III would be carried out simultaneously. The project would be completed within 18 months from the date of commencement of work.

The nine-metre-wide road will have an elevated carriageway at five locations. These elevated stretches are planned for the railway level-crossing near Edamalaipatti Pudur, Tiruchi-Dindigul highway near Karumandapam, Kuzhumayee Amman temple, Vayalur Road, and Karur NH near Kudamuriti.