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Jaya Allots Rs 740 Crore for Railway Overbridges

  • Tamilnadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today announced Rs 740 crore for construction of new railway overbridges and underpasses across the State as part of steps to help road-users save time and fuel.Observing that roads were not meant merely for connecting places and that they were for overall development of the State, Jayalalithaa granted administrative approval for building 23 such facilities in various parts of the State including Chennai, Thiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Vellore, Villupuram and Coimbatore districts, an official press release said.The new facilities would help in saving time and fuel for road-users besides preventing accidents, as they had to wait for long at many railway crossings, the release said.
  • Further, the busy and scenic East Coast Road (ECR), connecting  Chennai to various parts of the State besides the neighbouring Union Territory of Puducherry, would be converted into four-lane and efforts were on in this regard.She had sanctioned Rs 134 crore towards restoration of Palar Bridge on ECR, it added.The Chief Minister has been focusing on improving the infrastructure of the State, ever since she came to power in May this year.Earlier this week, Jayalalithaa ordered allocation of Rs 3,053.48 crore as subsidy from the State Finance Commission (SFC) for all local bodies including village panchayats, panchayat unions and district panchayats.
  • An official release here said the funds would ensure that various welfare schemes would reach even the most remote villages and prevent migration of people from rural areas to urban areas.For this purpose, the Chief Minister has evolved a special programme for improving infrastructure in remote villages - Tamilnadu Village Habitation Improvement Programme (THAI).From the funds provided by the government, each panchayat would get a minimum of Rs 25,000 per month, totalling to Rs three lakh a year. The town panchayats would get Rs 2.50 lakh per month (Rs 30 lakh per annum). The SFC would also provide subsidy for rural organisations based on the population for developmental works.The Rs 3,053.48-crore fund would be utilised for administrative expenses and for providing drinking water, street lighting and health schemes, besides maintaining basic facilities and developmental works in villages.

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