In its first step towards privatisation of State Highway maintenance works, the ADMK government has sanctioned 257cr for maintaining state highways in the Pollachi division of Coimbatore district.
Severely condemning the move of the ADMK regime to privatise maintenance of State highways, DMK President Kalaignar had already said it was aimed at getting ‘commission’ to be used for bribing innocent people during elections and get their votes.
Answering a question on the subject on July 26, Kalaignar said they were first said to have contemplated privatising some buses of the STCs. As it would face severe opposition not the ADMK regime were said to have got into arrangements to handover the maintenance of highways to private parties. The State Highways department maintained State highways of 11,594 km, important roads in districts 11,289 km and other roads of 2,250 km totally 57,043 km. In the first stage of this move, it is said that Rs.273 crore has been allocated for the maintenance of 378 km long highways within Pollachi division for five years and the work handed over to a private firm of Aruppukkottai. This maintenance work so far was looked after by road workers and if they had continued to do it, it would cost only Rs.80 crore. As it is privatised people’s tax money of Rs. 157 crore in excess would be spent without any reason. ‘What we do not know is the amount given by that firm in between’.
It is also said that talks are going on for handing over maintenance works of highways in Ramanathapuram, Krishnagiri, Karur and Namakkal following Pollachi thus turning the service of 9,600 road workers appointed during the DMK rule into a question mark. The pitiable road workers have started agitation. They went up to the Supreme Court, we don’t what they will do?”
Now what Kalaignar alleged has been officially announced. According to report in ‘The Timesof India’ on August 20, a private contractor has been roped in to improve and maintain 377km of State highways and major roads in the division over a period of five years. The privatization move has been taken up in Pollachi on a pilot basis and if all goes well, the State may rope in more private firms to maintain highways in other districts.
Government officials claim in Pollachi division alone the State can save 30 crore under the new system. The authorities are going ahead with the privatization despite stiff resistance from highways employees associations.
A Highways authority officer said the state highway roads, major district roads and other district roads are maintained by the Comprehensive Road Infrastructure Development Programme under Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project Usually, improving and strengthening of roads, rebuilding of damaged stretches, formation of bypasses, widening of state highways to double lane, widening of other district roads are under taken in this scheme by the state highways department.
But the State decided to try out the new model, Performance Based Maintenance Contract to rope in private players. A contractor from Arupukottai in Virudhunagar district has been entrusted with the job.
The contractor would have to maintain five major state highway including Pollachi -Valparai (64km), Avinashi -Tirupur-Palladam -Pollachi road (59.6 km), Palladam -Kochi frontier road (41.6 km), Pollachi -Palakkad road (15.8 km) and Pollachi - Dharapuram -Karur road (10.4km) under the scheme. As many as 16 major district roads in Pollachi division have also been given to the contractor.
State Highways department officials said that if the highways department were to take up the improvement of highways in Pollachi division, it would cost them 249.2cr for five years, since the department relies on old machineries and outdated methods.
The officials explained that using departmental staffs for road maintenance will increase overheads expenditure.
Severely condemning the move of the ADMK regime to privatise maintenance of State highways, DMK President Kalaignar had already said it was aimed at getting ‘commission’ to be used for bribing innocent people during elections and get their votes.
Answering a question on the subject on July 26, Kalaignar said they were first said to have contemplated privatising some buses of the STCs. As it would face severe opposition not the ADMK regime were said to have got into arrangements to handover the maintenance of highways to private parties. The State Highways department maintained State highways of 11,594 km, important roads in districts 11,289 km and other roads of 2,250 km totally 57,043 km. In the first stage of this move, it is said that Rs.273 crore has been allocated for the maintenance of 378 km long highways within Pollachi division for five years and the work handed over to a private firm of Aruppukkottai. This maintenance work so far was looked after by road workers and if they had continued to do it, it would cost only Rs.80 crore. As it is privatised people’s tax money of Rs. 157 crore in excess would be spent without any reason. ‘What we do not know is the amount given by that firm in between’.
It is also said that talks are going on for handing over maintenance works of highways in Ramanathapuram, Krishnagiri, Karur and Namakkal following Pollachi thus turning the service of 9,600 road workers appointed during the DMK rule into a question mark. The pitiable road workers have started agitation. They went up to the Supreme Court, we don’t what they will do?”
Now what Kalaignar alleged has been officially announced. According to report in ‘The Timesof India’ on August 20, a private contractor has been roped in to improve and maintain 377km of State highways and major roads in the division over a period of five years. The privatization move has been taken up in Pollachi on a pilot basis and if all goes well, the State may rope in more private firms to maintain highways in other districts.
Government officials claim in Pollachi division alone the State can save 30 crore under the new system. The authorities are going ahead with the privatization despite stiff resistance from highways employees associations.
A Highways authority officer said the state highway roads, major district roads and other district roads are maintained by the Comprehensive Road Infrastructure Development Programme under Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project Usually, improving and strengthening of roads, rebuilding of damaged stretches, formation of bypasses, widening of state highways to double lane, widening of other district roads are under taken in this scheme by the state highways department.
But the State decided to try out the new model, Performance Based Maintenance Contract to rope in private players. A contractor from Arupukottai in Virudhunagar district has been entrusted with the job.
The contractor would have to maintain five major state highway including Pollachi -Valparai (64km), Avinashi -Tirupur-Palladam -Pollachi road (59.6 km), Palladam -Kochi frontier road (41.6 km), Pollachi -Palakkad road (15.8 km) and Pollachi - Dharapuram -Karur road (10.4km) under the scheme. As many as 16 major district roads in Pollachi division have also been given to the contractor.
State Highways department officials said that if the highways department were to take up the improvement of highways in Pollachi division, it would cost them 249.2cr for five years, since the department relies on old machineries and outdated methods.
The officials explained that using departmental staffs for road maintenance will increase overheads expenditure.
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