Residents are exasperated with the failure of the authorities concerned to build service lanes along the busy stretch of the Tiruchi-Thanjavur National Highway between Palpannai and Thuvakudi.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has disposed of a writ petition filed by Trichy Palpannai - Thuvakkudi Service Road Meetpu Kootamaipu seeking service lanes to a minimum width of 45 metres between Palapannai and Thuvakudi along the Tiruchi-Thanjavur National Highway.A two-judge Bench of the court recently disposed of the petition after recording the statement of the Principal Secretary, Highways Department, on the status of land acquisition for building service lanes to 33 metres right of way in the first phase.The federation had moved the court seeking a direction to the respondents to form the service road from Palpannai to Thuvakudi as the 3D(1) notification published in the extraordinary Government Gazette dated May 21, 2014.The previous government had told the court that the service road would be constructed with a width of 33 metres. The federation had been demanding that the service road should be 60 metres wide at locations where flyovers are proposed, 50 metres where bus stops are to be established, and at least 45 metres at other locations.The Highways Secretary, in his affidavit, submitted that the land acquisition for service lanes with 33 meters Right of Way (Row) was currently in progress. The process of valuation of structures was under way. Of nine villages, the Special District Revenue Officer (Land Acquisition), National Highways, Pudukottai, has passed the draft award for the six villages of Varaganeri, Tharanallur, Ariyamangalam, Pappakurichi, Ellakudi, and Koothappaar villages. For the remaining villages, the draft award was under preparation. Valuation of structures has been completed in eight villages by the Divisional Engineer, National Highways, Tiruchi. An estimate for the construction of service road at a cost of ₹185 crore had been sent to National Highways Authority of India for release of funds, the Secretary had said in the affidavit.The court declined to allow impleading petitions against the land acquisition. “The petitioners, who seek to implead themselves, have raised an objection for acquisition stating that they would be directly affected. We are not allowing their impleading applications, but would only state that the difficulties, which the State authorities face, where one group insists that acquisition for providing service road should be done and the other resisting acquisition. The issue of acquisition will have to be agitated separately,” the court said. Published - September 12, 2026 05:21 pm IST
