CM Stalin inaugurates flyover at Chennai’s Madhya Kailash junction
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday inaugurated a flyover at the busy Madhya Kailash junction here, constructed at a cost of Rs 60.68 crore.
The project, executed by the Highways and Minor Ports Department, connects Rajiv Gandhi Salai and Sardar Patel Road to ease chronic traffic congestion in the Adyar area.
The two-lane, one-way flyover is 652 metres long, including the approach roads.
Official sources said the T-shaped junction had earlier caused significant delays for office-goers and students during peak hours.
With the opening of the L-shaped flyover, vehicles travelling from Guindy to Rajiv Gandhi Salai will use the new elevated stretch, enabling uninterrupted traffic flow from Adyar towards Guindy.
A government press release said the existing traffic signal at the Madhya Kailash junction would be removed, and free left turns would be enabled for commuters travelling between Guindy, Adyar and OMR.
To ensure safety, the flyover features a 45-metre radius curve with cross-sectional super-elevation and increased crash barrier height.
Though designed for a speed of 30 km/h, lane markings and warning signs have been installed to guide motorists, it added.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Public Works and Highways Minister E V Velu, Health Minister Ma Subramanian, Agriculture Minister M R K Panneerselvam and Chennai South MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian, along with senior officials of the Highways Department.
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KSDL invites innovative technology to check sandalwood theft
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has invited farmers, scientists and organisations to come up with innovative technologies to prevent sandalwood theft in the state.
The state-owned Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), which manufactures Mysuru Sandal Soap has also planned sandalwood cultivation, state Large and Medium Industries Minister M B Patil said on Thursday.
"In a bid to promote sandalwood cultivation, the KSDL has planned a major initiative. As part of it, farmers, scientists, and organisations possessing information on advanced equipment or innovative technologies to prevent sandalwood theft have been invited to approach KSDL and share the details," Patil said in a statement.
Those interested in this initiative will be given an opportunity to demonstrate such technologies before the organisation, the minister said, adding if the proposed solutions are found suitable and effective, steps will be taken for consideration and implementation.
Patil stated that the cost involved in deploying technologies aimed at preventing sandalwood theft would be borne by KSDL.
Further, with a view to encouraging sandalwood cultivation, four farmers who have supplied the highest quantity of sandalwood to KSDL will be honoured with awards on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar on June 4, he said.
On the same occasion, police personnel and forest officials who have made notable progress in apprehending sandalwood thieves and registering cases, along with members of the public who have provided credible information leading to such action, will also be recognised and rewarded, the minister added.
Patil observed that farmers cultivating sandalwood trees on their lands have been facing increasing threats due to theft in recent years. Illegal felling and theft of sandalwood trees have continued for decades.
Although stringent laws are in place to curb such activities, the number of cases resulting in convictions remains very low, he noted.
"In this context, it becomes the responsibility of the organisation to extend both legal and technical support to farmers and encourage them to take up sandalwood cultivation on a larger scale," he said.
According to him, over the past three years, KSDL has procured 174.5 metric tonne of sandalwood directly from farmers across the state and transferred Rs 6.08 crore to their respective accounts.
