East Coast Road in TN to be widened in Rs 70 bn project

29 Nov 2022 CW Team

The East Coast Road (ECR) between Nagapattinam and Thoothukudi stretching 332 km in Tamil Nadu is being converted into four lanes at an estimated cost of Rs 70 billion, according to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) project director YA Raut.

The Nagapattinam-Thoothukudi section (NH-32) passes through the coastal districts of Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi. The existing two-lane ECR will be widened under the Bharatmala Phase I (Revised PIB) scheme, and 90% greenfield and 10% existing road lands have to be acquired for the project. It may be noted that the NHAI handed over the 126-km-long Thoothukudi-Kanyakumari ECR stretch to the Tamil Nadu government in August this year.

As per the Detail Project Report (DPR) for Nagapattinam-Thoothukudi NH, the project includes the construction of 47 Small Vehicular Underpasses (SVUPs), 22 major bridges, 45 Light Vehicular Underpasses, 11 major bridges over ponds and 669 new box culverts. It also includes widening works for 49 major bridges and six minor bridges.

Raut said the ECR upgradation will benefit the State socio-economically by triggering foreign trade and industrial production along the southern coast, as the road connects the major harbour cities of Chennai and Thoothukudi.

The ECR will also facilitate movements for defence vehicles, machinery for thermal power plants, ISRO projects, the atomic research centre at Koodankulam, and other vital installations dotting the southern Coromandel coastal strip.

Infrastructure Transport

13 Oct 2025

Tata, Airbus to Build India’s First Private Helicopter Line

In a landmark development for India’s aerospace sector, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus will establish the country’s first private-sector helicopter assembly line in Vemagal, Karnataka. The facility will manufacture the Airbus H125 and H125M, marking a significant milestone in India’s push for self-reliance in aviation and defence manufacturing. The new Final Assembly Line (FAL) will produce the H125, the world’s best-selling single-engine helicopter, known for its versatility and performance in extreme environments. The first ‘Made in India’ H125 is expected to ro..

NeGD to Support Bharat Taxi in Building Cooperative Ride Platform

In a significant move for India’s digital and mobility transformation, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Digital India Corporation, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has entered into an advisory partnership with Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, the company behind Bharat Taxi — a first-of-its-kind, cooperative-led national ride-hailing platform. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between NeGD and Sahakar Taxi to provide strategic advisory and technical support covering key areas such as platform integration, cybersecurity..

MeitY Hosts Pre-Summit for India–AI Impact Summit 2026

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, hosted a series of Pre-Summit events for the upcoming India–AI Impact Summit 2026 at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 in New Delhi. These sessions mark a key milestone ahead of the main summit, scheduled for 19–20 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Delivering the inaugural address, S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, highlighted India’s innovative and frugal approach to AI development. “We have adopted innovative means by learning from others’ experiences to build projects and products that..