Lack of infrastructure development at Tiruchi

Tiruchi: The Federation of Service Organisations has expressed concern over lack of infrastructure development in the city and has appealed to the Local Administration Minister to take steps to give a push for implementing long pending projects.Despite its central location in the State, Tiruchi has seen little development over the past decade and has been lagging behind in infrastructure development when compared to several other second rung cities in the State. Many of the development projects drawn by the civic administration and the Government have failed to take off from the drawing board stage, M. Sekaran, convenor of the federation, said in a representation to the Minister, M.K. Stalin.

The city was being neglected and there was no political lobby to get its due share in the development projects. A case in point was the proposal on upgradation of K.A.P. Viswanatham Government Medical College Hospital on a par with All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, a status, which was subsequently sanctioned for the Salem hospital.Several trains operating from Tiruchi, which was once the headquarters of the South Indian Railway, had been cancelled or extended to other stations, he said.

"The proposal on establishing an integrated bus stand in the city has been pending for the past two decades. The condition of the roads leaves much to be desired. There has been no effort to relieve traffic congestion on arterial roads, especially Thanjavur Road."The Corporation has not been able to take up any major capital works, except for the acquisition of a railway land for the expansion of the Central Bus Stand, over the past five years.

The old Coleroon Bridge, which has been declared a weak bridge, remains closed for heavy vehicles and there has been no plan to construct a new bridge or strengthen the existing one. There was no sustained effort to remove encroachments from roadsides and drainage channels. Though several parts of the city were flood prone, there has been no effort to clear the encroachments from the drainage channels.A comprehensive plan has to be drawn up to ensure the overall development of the city to meet the requirements of the anticipated industrial, including the Information Technology sector, growth, he said.