The Hindu Business Line : Chamber seeks better infrastructure facilities

Coimbatore, Jan. 4 A request to improve the road and rail infrastructure to and from Coimbatore, which is witnessing rapid economic development within a specific time frame, so as to improve the quality and safety of life of the people here has been made by the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore (ICCIC).

Mr D. Balasundaram, President, ICCIC, said the economic growth being witnessed by the city had put enormous stress on the existing infrastructure. Because of its strategic location, Coimbatore has three National Highways — NH 47 (Salem-Kochi), NH 67 (Tiruchi-Udhagamandalam) and NH 209 (Dindigul-Mysore) passing through it.

There was an imperative need for six-laning all the three NHs passing through the Coimbatore urban area for a distance of 50 km from the city to ease the flow of traffic and he urged that this work be completed by 2010.

Ring roads

He said though Coimbatore was the second largest city after Chennai and one of the most industrially developed cities in the State, it did not have ring roads, when smaller cities like Tiruchi, Salem and Thanjavur had such roads.

Though under the Coimbatore Master Plan 1994, ring roads were proposed, they were not implemented, and he wanted this work be taken up and completed by the end of next year.

Referring to the ongoing four-laning of the Salem-Coimbatore section of NH 47, he requested that the work be completed by December next year. The Coimbatore-Palani section of NH 209 has several bends that needed to be straightened and the road should be made into a four-lane highway in view of the high industrial activity.

Pollachi and Udumalpet towns that were located on this route lacked bypass roads, he said, and wanted these towns to be provided with bypass roads to ensure smoother traffic.

Mr Balasundaram said the exporters from Coimbatore were dependent on the Tuticorin port to a large extent and there was a need for upgrading the existing NHs linking the two cities — NH 209 and 45 — into six-lane highways.

Once the Sethusamudram ship canal project was completed, there would be greater demand on the Tuticorin port infrastructure and the improvement in road connectivity would give a boost to the port he said, and wanted these road works be completed by 2010.

The railways should convert the existing metre gauge track between Coimbatore and Dindigul into broad gauge, he added.

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