Plan for toll booths on Western Ring Road in Coimbatore sparks public outrage

COIMBATORE: The Tamil Nadu State Highways Department's and Tamil Nadu State Highways Authority's (TANSHA) plan to set up toll booths along the under-construction Western Ring Road in Coimbatore has stirred public anger, with industrialists, social activists, and residents condemning the move.
The 32.43-kilomere-long Western Ring Road, designed to ease city traffic by diverting heavy vehicle flow around Coimbatore, is being implemented in three phases. Phase 1 of the project, stretching 11.80 km from Mykal to Madampatti and passing through areas like Madukkarai, Sundakkamuthur, Perur Chettipalayam, and Theethipalayam, is nearing completion. Work on this stretch, launched in August 2023 at a cost of Rs 250 crore, is expected to finish by September this year.
However, even before the completion of the first phase, officials of the Tamil Nadu State Highways Department have reportedly been planning to install toll plazas. This decision has come under fire, especially as the State Government has been advocating for the removal of toll plazas on national highways in Tamil Nadu, a stand now seen as contradictory.
"The government cannot have double standards. On one side, they oppose tolls on national highways, but here they are trying to toll a state road built using public money," said R Selvaraj, a local trader in Madampatti. "This road is meant to decongest our city, not to burden us with fees."
The Western Ring Road project traverses 15 revenue villages in the district, eventually connecting Mylkal on the Salem-Cochin Road (SHU 52) to Narasimhanaickenpalayam on the Nagapattinam-Gudalur-Mysore Road (NH 67).
The second phase, covering 12.10 km from Madampatti to Somayampalayam, via Vadavalli, is estimated to cost Rs 348 crore, with tender processes set to begin after fund allocation. The third and final phase, spanning 8.09 km, will pass through Pannimadai, Nanjundapuram, Kurudampalayam, and Gudalur.

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