Summary:
Chennai, Jan 24 (PTI) Expressing "surprise" over Union Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari"s remarks on implementation of NHAI projects in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday said his government has put the best foot forward to support the authority"s projects in the state and these helped resolve many long-pending issues.
The government gave "very high importance" to NHAI projects, as it fully realised the significance of road connectivity for an industrialised state like Tamil Nadu, he said.
"Hence I have given specific instructions to all departments to give top priority to NHAI projects," the Chief Minister said in a letter addressed to the Union Minister.
"Many current issues causing project delays are legacy issues of the past decade and my teams of officers under the Chief Secretary are putting their best efforts to sort them out at the earliest," he said in the letter, a copy of which was made available to the media here.
Taking exception to Gadkari"s remarks in the media on issues faced by NHAI projects in Tamil Nadu, Stalin said "you had highlighted various issues and sought the cooperation of the state government in overcoming them." On an earlier occasion too, Gadkari had written to him highlighting such issues and he had replied in detail the various steps his government undertook, he pointed out.
The state Public Works Minister (E V Velu) had conducted four meetings with all stakeholder departments to resolve various issues in NHAI projects, as a follow up to his review meetings.