Tamil Nadu CM launches projects, flags off buses ahead of Lok Sabha election notification

CHENNAI: Just a few days before the Election Commission notifies the Lok Sabha elections , Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday launched a slew of programmes, including flagging off 500 new buses, and laid foundation stones for multi-crore infrastructure development projects. The chief minister inaugurated 33 electrical substations -- which cost Rs 285.75 crore -- in 16 districts.

The chief minister flagged off 500 new buses. “Eight buses were inducted into Metropolitan Transport Corporation (Chennai), 198 in TNSTC Villupuram division, 134 in Salem and 160 in Kumbakonam. The buses cost Rs 132.87 crore,” said an official release.

Palaniswami also unveiled a programme, Infotex, to computerise the entire operations of state-run Cooptex at Rs 15.85 crore that comes as a subsidy from the Union ministry of electronics and information technology.

Continuing the state’s thrust on road infrastructure, the chief minister laid foundation stone for road projects and six bridges at Rs 1,558.36 crore that would benefit various districts, including Coimbatore, Kancheepuram, Vellore, Villupuram.

Palaniswami launched a 10MW solar project at Mariyur in Kadaladi in Ramanathapuram, implemented by TIDEL Park, a joint venture of TIDCO and ELCOT, which would help generate 1.89 crore units. This will be followed by solar thermal-driven desalination project shortly.

Foundation stone was laid for construction of a regulator across the Kollidam river between Adhanur in Cuddalore and Kumaramangalam in Nagapattinam.

“The announcement was made suo motu by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa in August 2014, as lack of regulators, except the lower Anicut, leaves flood water to end in sea. The regulator will be built at Rs 428 crore,” another release said.

The regulator would benefit 12,640 hectares of agricultural lands in the region. Four check dams will also come up in Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts.

Palaniswami opened several infrastructure facilities in the state-run hospitals and medical colleges, including Kanyakumari, at Rs 50.9 crore. He opened fishing harbour, jetties, net centres, fish seed rearing centres built by animal husbandry and fisheries department at Rs 138.97 crore.

Besides, administration and education blocks of Agricultural College and Research Institute in Kudumiyanmalai in Pudukkottai district, a constituent college of Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, were inaugurated at Rs 10.27 crore.

The chief minister also opened a new building in a plinth area of 1,000sq m at government observation home for boys and girls in Kelly’s in Chennai, which replaced a dilapidated structure.