New Delhi, 1 July (IANS). The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the construction of the Parmakudi-Ramnathpuram section (46.7 km) of the National Highway (NH-87) in Tamil Nadu. The project will be developed on the Hybrid annuity mode (HAM), which will cost Rs 1,853 crore.
Currently, the contact between Madurai, Parmakudi, Ramanathapuram, Mandapam, Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi is dependent on the existing 2-lane National Highway 87 (NH-87) and respective state highways, which are facing a lot of congestion due to the excess of traffic in major cities especially with densely populated areas.
To solve these challenges, the project will upgrade about 46.7 km of NH -87 from Parakudi to Ramanathapuram to 4 -lane configuration.
This will reduce congestion in the existing corridor, improve security and will meet the traffic requirements of fast growing cities like Parakudi, Sathirakudi, Achundanavayal and Ramanathapuram.
The project’s alignment is associated with 5 major national highways (NH -38, NH -85, NH -36, NH -536, and NH -32) and 3 state highways (SH -47, SH -29, SH -34), which provides major economic, social and logistics nodes in southern Tamil Nadu.
Additionally, the advanced corridor will increase multi-model integration by joining 2 major railway stations (Madurai and Rameswaram), 1 airport (Madurai) and 2 small ports (Pamban and Rameswaram), which will facilitate intensity of goods and passengers throughout the region.
On completion of the project, the Parakudi-Ramnathpuram segment will play an important role in regional economic development, strengthen connectivity between major religious and economic centers, promote tourism in Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi and open new avenues for trade and industrial development.
The project will also create about 8.4 lakh persons, direct and 10.45 lakh persons-day indirect employment and will open new avenues of development, progress and prosperity in the surrounding areas.
-IANS
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