The Vellore Corporation is all set to carry out work on the
underground drainage system (UGDS) on roads belonging to the  National
Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in the city.

A Corporation
official said the first phase of the UGDS work in Vellore began towards
the end of March, 2009. Around 75 per cent of the work had been
completed. This included digging, laying of sewer lines and connecting
the houses to the main sewage pipeline in the interior streets and
closing manholes. The road restoration work on the interior streets is
also nearing completion.

Under phase-I, 24 wards measuring about
5.5 sq km of the Vellore Corporation area was covered. The areas between
Saidapet Murugan Temple and Long Bazaar was completed in package 1, and
from the Vellore South Police Station up to Velapadi in package 2 were
covered.

However, there was a delay in obtaining permission from
the NHAI and National Highways (NH) to carry out the work on NHAI and NH
roads in Vellore, the official said.

He said permission from NHAI
was received last month and tenders were called for work on about 3 km
on the Vellore-Arni Road, Anna Salai and Katpadi Road.  The estimated
cost of the work on the NHAI roads is around Rs 4.07 crore and the work
would be completed in a month, he said.

However, the Corporation was yet to get permission from the NH to carry out work on NH-46.