HC declines to stay Tiruchi-Karaikudi National Highways project

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court today declined to stay a single judge's order that quashed a stop work order issued by the State PWD Department on the Rs.374 crore Tiruchi-Karaikudi National Highways project.

A division bench comprising justices Satish K. Agnihotri and K K Sasidharan, before which the state government's appeal came up, ordered issue of notice to the National Highways Authority of India ( NHAI) on the plea.

Earlier, the single judge, who heard the petition filed by NHAI against the government order restraining the Authority from continuing with the work on the project, had stayed it. The government had filed the appeal following this.

The project, which would link six national highway stretches in the region, involves construction of a two-lane path with paved shoulders on the Tiruchi-Karaikudi section of NH-210. The 84km stretch includes 25km of the Tiruchi bypass on NH-67.

Launched in 2010, the project was to be completed by May 14, 2013.