Chennai: Expressing deep concern over the digging up of Chennai roads for various reasons other than the construction of the Metro Rail project that not only inconvenience road users but also caused accidents, Chief Minister M K Stalin said, ‘quality roads will earn a good name’ for the government.
Speaking at a meeting in the Secretariat called to review the progress of work on roads and bridges, Stalin urged the officials to ensure that repairs on the dug up roads were completed expeditiously not just in Chennai but also in other places in the State by monitoring the progress of work closely.
Economic progress in the State had led to an explosion of automobiles, including two wheelers, and the people’s expectation for the quality of the roads laid to be of high standards was highly justified, he said, adding that he took up the review on the progress of work on roads and bridges mainly because of that.
Any set back on undertaking the work on roads and bridges quickly should be addressed immediately and administrative delays should be avoided in sorting out internal problems in the departments like lack of adequate staff to look after environmental issues and land acquisition, he said.
The meeting reviewed with necessary data the progress of work on projects of rural development, highways and municipal administration departments that were taken up in the years 2021-22 and 2022-23 and the officials should complete the projects ahead of time as per the assurance they had given, Stalin said.
Since roads are the most important need of the people, senior officials should monitor the progress of the projects, he said. Any impediment in the progress should be duly reported to the Chief Secretary or the department secretary.
The important work progress should also be updated in the Chief Minister’s dash board and the department secretaries should also send reports on the work, he said.
Adequate funds had been earmarked for the projects that were reviewed at the meeting and any delay in the release of funds should be avoided to complete the work on time, he said.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated a set of office buildings of the rural development and Panchayat Raj department constructed at a cost of Rs 30.72 crore, which included seven for panchayat unions in Tiruvarur, Dindigul, Dharmapuri, Nilgiris, Namakkal, Kanyakumari and Tiruchendur districts, and distributed 200 new vehicles, totally costing Rs 25.40 crore, for the use of panchayat union group heads.
In another function, Stalin inaugurated a modern office building of the HR & CE department at Nungambakkam, a queue complex for devotees visiting the Samayapuram temple in Trichy district and a marriage hall at Thiruvennainallur in Villupuram district all of them together constructed at a cost of Rs 30.43 core.
He also unveiled through video conference new statues of V O Chidambaranar, Ramamirtham Ammaiyar and Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy erected at Coimbatore, Mayiladuthurai and Pudukottai respectively at a cost of Rs 66 lakh and also laid the foundation for memorial halls with statues for Erode Easwaran and former Chief Minister P Subarayan at a cost of Rs 5.10 crore.
