Minister E.V. Velu Reviews Highways Department Projects with Senior Officials

Chennai : Hon’ble Minister for Public Works, Highways, and Minor Ports, Thiru E.V. Velu, conducted a detailed review today with top officials of the Highways Department at the Secretariat regarding the progress of highway-related projects across the state.

During the meeting, the Minister emphasized the importance of holding monthly project progress reviews, preparing detailed project reports (DPRs), conducting land acquisition reviews, and monitoring legal issues pending in courts. The review was attended by top administrative and regional engineers of the Highways Department.

Before these monthly review meetings, the supervising engineers, along with divisional and assistant divisional engineers, must carry out comprehensive field inspections. Zonal engineers must also conduct review meetings with the concerned field-level engineers to ensure on-ground verification of progress. The Minister instructed that supervisory officers must ensure thorough documentation of these reviews.

Additionally, the Minister directed each Chief Engineer to conduct field visits on at least 10 days every month.

Key Safety and Construction Guidelines Issued:

• Barricades must be installed on narrow roads.
• Reflective stickers and signboards should be used for better visibility.
• Any negligence in field safety and monitoring will invite strict disciplinary action.

The Minister also instructed that pavement quality must be inspected across various construction stages and that progress reports for iconic highway projects must be submitted once every 15 days.

Priority Projects Highlighted:

• Chennai–Chidambaram Highway
• Madurai–Abiramam Road
• Madurai–Ezhachivadi Junction bypass
  These must be fast-tracked and completed at the earliest.

The Minister expressed concern that many bypass roads are yet to be completed despite land acquisition being done, and directed officers to expedite those works.

Furthermore, the Minister instructed that highway amenities must be developed only at identified locations per IRC standards, and all encroaching vegetation along roadsides should be cleared. Roads passing through low-lying areas must be upgraded accordingly.

Other Important Directives:

• Soil heaps forming median barriers on roads must be cleared.
• Damaged or incomplete stretches should be fixed immediately.
• All pending works must be completed by July 30, 2025.

The review meeting was attended by the Secretary of the Highways and Minor Ports Department, Dr. S.K. Selvaraj, IAS, and other senior officials.

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Issued by:
Director, Department of Information and Public Relations, Chennai-9