Tiruchi Scales Down Land Acquisition for ₹331-Crore Link Road Project

The Tiruchi Corporation has cut back its land acquisition plan for the ambitious 9.9-km link road from Panjapur to Kudamuruti River, reducing private land requirements for the longest stretch of the project from 20 acres to just about four.

The link road, designed to ease connectivity between the Integrated Bus Terminus at Panjapur and several residential pockets, will run along the banks of the Koraiyar and Kudamuruti rivers. Officials say the changes have been made following opposition from residents, though the road’s length and width remain largely unchanged.

“We have reduced the land requirement and are looking to reduce it further, without affecting the original plan. We are expediting the work, and a tender for Package III will be floated within a month,” a senior Corporation official told The Hindu.

The project, estimated at ₹331.72 crore, is split into three packages. Package I covers Panjapur to Karumandapam over 2 km at a cost of ₹81.72 crore, while Package II spans 2.15 km from Woraiyur to Kudamuruti bridge at ₹68 crore. Package III—the longest segment at 5.75 km from Karumandapam to Woraiyur—comes with the highest budget of ₹182 crore.

Initially, 20 acres were marked for acquisition under Package III, later trimmed to seven acres. With the latest revision, only four acres are set to be acquired, easing concerns of landowners along the stretch.

On Thursday, Minister for Municipal Administration K.N. Nehru inspected the areas earmarked for acquisition and reviewed progress on the ongoing work under Packages I and II. He directed officials to expedite execution so that the entire project could be completed before April.

The link road, once ready, is expected to significantly decongest city roads and provide a direct arterial connection across the southern and northern parts of Tiruchi. With tenders for the final package likely to be floated within weeks, officials are banking on the scaled-down acquisition plan to speed up execution without further disputes.