The Hindu 31.01.2014
Corpn. to study possibility of making busy thoroughfares walkways
Big Bazaar Street, N.H. Road, Variety Hall Road, Oppanakkara Street, Raja Street and a few more will soon be made walkways, if the Corporation’s plan is anything to go by. A resolution passed at the Thursday’s Council meeting called for expression of interest to prepare a report to turn the aforementioned streets accessible only to pedestrians.
The Corporation’s move comes after it made a similar effort sometime ago to turn the over-one-km-long Cross Cut Road a walkway and it held a series of meeting with the State Government officials and a few international non-government organisations.
Senior officials of the Corporation had recently submitted a report to the State Government in this regard.
The Corporation would soon start fencing reserve sites, said Mayor S.M. Velusamy after councillors said that a few reserve sites were not only under encroachment but the illegal occupants were also collecting rent.
The civic body would fence the sites, erect boards and also display the details on its website.
Deputy Commissioner S. Sivarasu said that the Corporation had completed the reserve site survey in 32 of the 100 wards by displaying boards on the sites and publishing their details on its website. It would soon complete the task in the remaining 68 wards.
The Corporation also had plans to publish the site details - the location and area - on the website using a mapping facility, he said in response to suggestions from councillors who sought the additional details.
The Corporation Council also passed a resolution to shift the omni bus stand out of Sathyamangalam Road. In Resolution 9, the civic body said that it intended to shift the bus stand to Neelambur, where it had identified a 10.38-acre plot. A part of the plot belonged to the National Highways, from which the civic body proposed to get the land.
It also said that the reason for shifting the bus stand was to facilitate the construction of the flyover in Gandhipuram, works for which would start soon. Land measuring 30 feet would be utilised for the construction of the flyover that would extend from Dr. Nanjappa Road to Textool flyover.
At the Council meeting, the Mayor said that the civic body also proposed to replace the conventional street lights with LED bulbs at Rs. 30 crore in a phased manner. He wanted the JNNURM Wing engineers to expedite the construction of underground drainage and storm water drain works in those areas that had been excluded in the proposal.
The Corporation Council also passed resolutions asking the State Government to accord permission to upgrade a few schools and decided to meet the expenses of students who participate in sporting events in the State, national and Asian level.
