Tamil Nadu Highways Minister E V Velu urged Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to speed up National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) projects in Tamil Nadu. E V Velu made a slew of requests to road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, including declaration of eight roads running for approximately 500 km as national highways, speedy execution of planned growth, elevated corridors and half-ring road projects in the state. The Union minister guaranteed help to the state. The eight roads are Vallioor-Tiruchendur, Tiruvannamalai-Kallakurichi, Kollegal-Hanur-MM Hills-Palar Road-TN border extended up to Mettur, Palani-Dharapuram, Mettupalayam-Bhavani, Arcot-Tindivanam, Avinashi-Mettupalayam and Bhavani-Karur. The roads link important pilgrimage centres such as Tiruvannamalai, Tiruchendur and Palani and many trades or tourism centres, and a formal notification will help the roads get a new look. Velu told the media that the state government had already made representations to the government. Chief Minister M K Stalin wrote a letter to the Prime Minister regarding this. The state government repeated its demand to remove the NHAI’s toll plazas which are either situated in the municipal limits or just a few km away -- Vanagaram (Chennai), Surapattu (Chennai) on NH32 and Paranur (Chengalpet) on NH45, Chennasamudram (Walajah) and Nemmili (Sriperumbudur) on NH4, given the agitation of the locals. The minister requested the Union government to speed up the implementation of eight-laning of Chengalpet-Tindivanam section, elevated corridors between Madhavaram and the Outer Ring Road, Trichy-Thuvakudi, Tambaram-Chengalpet, and six-lane elevated corridor between Maduravoyal and Sriperumbudur on Wallajah-Poonamallee section, six-laning of Coimbatore-Sathyamangalam road and ring road projects in Coimbatore and Trichy. The projects are under different stages of preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) and will be taken up based on the approvals and land procurement process. It could be from the year 2023-24, as per a senior NHAI official. With the government expressing concerns over the delay in NHAI projects in the state, Velu clarified to Gadkari that 90% of the pending approvals since the last regime had been approved by the state government. Image Source Also read: MoRTH lays foundation stone of NH projects worth Rs 3,972 cr