Coimbatore: With the increase in budgetary allocations, the DMK Government in the last four years had managed to put the Highways Department on a fast track, said Minister for Highways M.P. Saminathan on Friday.

He was speaking at a function organised to inaugurate three new road over bridges at Ganapathy Textools and water streams across Sanganur canal near Ganapathy and at Kittampalayam –Vannathangarai besides laying the foundation for a road over bridge across the railway level crossing on Pollachi – Aliyar Road.

The completed works inaugurated were worth over Rs. 15 crore while the work for which the foundation stone was laid was for Rs. 12.44 crore.

Mr. Saminathan said that the previous AIADMK Government had left behind more than 1,300 vacancies in the Highways Department. The DMK Government after coming to power had filled up all these vacancies.

The State Government in the last four years had constructed 2,438 bridges and strengthened 50,412 km of roads at a cost of Rs. 14,000 crore. With regard to the Ondipudur flyover service road raised by Coimbatore, MP P.R. Natarajan, Mr. Saminathan said that the department was working in co-ordination with the revenue department for completing the same.

The Minister said the condition of roads are better than any other State and the same had been certified by the Chairman of Indian Road Congress recently.

Secretary to Government for Highways Department G. Santhanam said that the budgetary allocation for Highways Department which was only Rs. 1,432 crore in 2006-07 had witnessed an year-on-year increase over the last four years and the last fiscal witnessed an highest ever allocation of Rs. 2,795 crore.

Mayor R. Venkatachalam, Deputy Mayor N. Karthik and Thondamuthur MLA, M.N. Kandasamy took part.

Courtesy - Hindu