Surat-Chennai economic corridor runs into green hurdle
ROADS & HIGHWAYS

Surat-Chennai economic corridor runs into green hurdle

A key segment of the ambitious Surat-Chennai economic corridor has hit a serious ecological hurdle. The nearly Rs 140 billion project has run into trouble with the Union Environment Ministry's Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for infrastructure projects over its proposed 290 km long greenfield Surat-Nashik-Ahmednagar section, which falls in pristine and untouched areas of the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats.

The EAC has, in a July 21-22 meeting, said that the stakeholder ministry/department should upgrade along the existing National Highway alignment instead of running into 'virgin and ecologically sensitive new parts of Western Ghat areas'.

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) are preparing to 'appeal' with the Environment ministry to reconsider its view and allow leeway for the national connectivity project which will ultimately link up Delhi to Chennai through an access-controlled corridor.

The project has been a major political and economic talking point for the infrastructure boost it will bring to the region.

"We will appeal with the EAC. Packages for so many segments linking up to this corridor have already been awarded. This was to be an access-controlled expressway - a key link off the Golden Quadrilateral for national connectivity. We are very mindful of environmental concerns and have always prioritised them and the new alignment will in fact reduce affected area and use modern technology to minimise environmental damage. However, there is no other alternative alignment possible and upgrading the existing one defeats the very purpose of the corridor," a senior official was reported to have said.

See also:
Road sector records maximum number of delayed projects
Breakthrough in the Delhi-Dehradun expressway project


A key segment of the ambitious Surat-Chennai economic corridor has hit a serious ecological hurdle. The nearly Rs 140 billion project has run into trouble with the Union Environment Ministry's Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for infrastructure projects over its proposed 290 km long greenfield Surat-Nashik-Ahmednagar section, which falls in pristine and untouched areas of the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats. The EAC has, in a July 21-22 meeting, said that the stakeholder ministry/department should upgrade along the existing National Highway alignment instead of running into 'virgin and ecologically sensitive new parts of Western Ghat areas'. The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) are preparing to 'appeal' with the Environment ministry to reconsider its view and allow leeway for the national connectivity project which will ultimately link up Delhi to Chennai through an access-controlled corridor. The project has been a major political and economic talking point for the infrastructure boost it will bring to the region. We will appeal with the EAC. Packages for so many segments linking up to this corridor have already been awarded. This was to be an access-controlled expressway - a key link off the Golden Quadrilateral for national connectivity. We are very mindful of environmental concerns and have always prioritised them and the new alignment will in fact reduce affected area and use modern technology to minimise environmental damage. However, there is no other alternative alignment possible and upgrading the existing one defeats the very purpose of the corridor, a senior official was reported to have said. See also: Road sector records maximum number of delayed projectsBreakthrough in the Delhi-Dehradun expressway project

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Red Hat Enhances Security and Virtualisation Experience

Red Hat, the world's leading provider of open source solutions, announced the general availability of Red Hat OpenShift 4.18, the latest version of the industry’s leading hybrid cloud application platform powered by Kubernetes. Red Hat OpenShift 4.18 introduces new features and capabilities designed to streamline operations and security across IT environments and deliver greater consistency to all applications, from cloud-native and AI-enabled to virtualised and traditional. According to the Gartner® press release Top Trends Impacting Infrastructure and Operations for 2025, revirtualizatio..

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

How Goa-Nagpur Expressway is Reshaping Regional Connectivity

There is more to infrastructure than just roads and highways. Economic expansion, social cohesiveness, and regional change are all based on the real estate industry. An excellent illustration of this is the 802-kilometer Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway, which is expected to improve connectivity, expand economic opportunities, and improve real estate prospects in both Maharashtra and Goa. The planned route is proposed to pass through Wardha, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Latur, Beed, Osmanabad, Solapur, Kolhapur, and Sindhudurg, which is located at the Maharashtra-Goa border. This six..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Innovative Drive Solutions from Nord at bauma

At bauma 2025, NORD DRIVESYSTEMS will be presenting powerful and energy-efficient drive solutions for demanding industrial applications. The exhibition highlights presented by the drive specialist from Bargteheide include MAXXDRIVE® industrial gear units as well as the versatile NORDAC PRO SK 500P frequency inverter. With its comprehensive modular products and global presence, NORD is a partner for companies from the construction machinery and heavy-duty industry. MAXXDRIVE® XJ and XD – powerful industrial gear units for various industries The new MAXXDRIVE® XJ and MAXXDRIVE® XD indust..

Advertisement

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?