8. TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION Road, transport and communication are sinews of the State economy. They contribute substantially to reduction in cost of production, improvement in productivity and expansion in marketing network and catalysing the growth of trade in the economy.Tamil Nadu, with a total area of 1, 30,058 Sq Kms is backed up by a road length of 2, 05,557 Kms. The average road length worked out to 319 Kms for every one lakh population as compared to the all India average of 329 Kms. The rapid strides were made by the State in the Transport sector towards achieving the national average which offered an efficient, reliable and safe transport system. On the communication front, Tamil Nadu has the total tele-density of 106.12 as compared to an all India average of 70.89. 8.1. Road Net Work: Table-8.1: Length of Roads – Tamil Nadu (in Kms) The road network is Type of Road 2009-10 2010-11 % share the back bone of an economy to total linking agriculture, National Highways 4873 4861 2.4 State Highways 9384 10561 5.1 industries, railways, seaports Major District Roads 11288 11315 5.5 and airports. A glance of the Other District Roads 34293 33182 16.1 length of roads in Tamil Sugarcane Roads 1803 1755 0.9 Nadu shows a marginal Panchayat Union and 105748 106619 51.9 decrease in the Other District Village Panchayat Roads Roads (ODR) against the Town Panchayat Roads 17904 19151 9.3 marginal increase in Major Municipality Roads 12525 12703 6.2 Corporation Roads 5388 5410 2.6 District Roads (MDR) Total 203206 205557 100.0 indicating the continuous Source: 1. Department of Highways, Chennai-5; 2. Dept of Rural upgradation of roads to the Department, Chennai. higher category. Among the various types of roads, `Panchayat Union and Village Panchayat roads’ occupies more than 60 per cent of the total length of roads. National Highways got a dimunitive share of 3 per cent and at the same time bears the 40 per cent of the total traffic in the State. 8.1.1. Length of Roads - Surface wise: The proportion of surfaced road availability in the State is on the increase. The surfaced road growth was on the upward trend with 1950-51 from 64.5 per cent in 1950-51 to 80.80 per cent in 2007-08. Table – 8.2: Surface-wise Length of Roads in Tamil Nadu (in Kms) Year Surfaced Roads Unsurfaced Roads Total Length of Roads Length % to total Length % to total 1950-51 28291 64.50 15569 35.50 43860 1970-71 45345 66.25 23101 33.75 68446 1990-91 134135 78.53 36666 21.47 170801 2000-01 131882 75.05 43848 24.95 175740 2007-08 155330 80.77 36989 19.23 192319 Source: Statistical Hand Book, 2011, Department of Economics and Statistics, Chennai – 6. 113 8.1.2. Length of Road Matrix-Lane-wise: The lane-wise length share indicates the efficacy of the road Box-8.1 networks in terms of speed and time A high level committee on National factor. During 2010-11, out of 61674 Transport Development Policy has kilometers, single lane accounted for a been set up to develop a Transport major chunk of 58 per cent, followed by policy going up to 2030 at the double lane at 26 per cent and Centre to facilitate the efficient intermediate lane with 13 per cent. The expansion of the transportation multilane road occupies the least with 4 network to minimize energy use per cent. with special attention to competitive pricing and coordination between alternative modes of transport. The A further analysis of the resultant integrated policy category of roads reveals that in Tamil framework is expected to provide Nadu, in the case of National Highways, the backdrop for the development of double lane took a major share with 73 transportation in the Twelfth Plan in per cent and multilane with 26 per cent, Tamil Nadu during the coming where as the share of double lane in years. State Highways was 82.5 per cent and intermediate 9 per cent. As far as Major Source: Policy Note on Road, Minor Ports and Shipping -2010-11, Highways District Roads are concerned, single Department, Chennai. lane occupied the highest share of 90 per cent followed by intermediate lane (6%) and in respect of Other District Roads, single lane road accounted for a major portion of 92 per cent and multilane was at negligible level of 0.09 per cent. The Sugarcane roads were mostly single lane (90%), which provides the necessary road net work to link the sugarcane growing area with the sugarcane mills. Table – 8.3: Lane-wise Length of Roads as on 31st March 2011 – Tamil Nadu (in Kms) Type of Road Single Lane Intermediate Double Multi Lane Total Lane Lane National Highways 13 62 3531 1255 4861 (0.3) (1.3) (72.6) (25.8) (100) State Highways 32 963 8709 857 10561 (0.3) (9.1) (82.5) (8.1) (100) Major District Roads 3702 4687 2819 107 11315 (32.7) (41.4) (24.9) (1.0) (100) Other District Roads 30472 1964 715 31 33182 (91.8) (5.9) (2.2) (0.1) (100) Sugarcane Roads 1587 106 62 - 1755 (90.4) (6.0) (3.6) (100) Total 35806 7782 15836 2250 61674 (58.1) (12.6) (25.7) (3.6) (100) Source: Department of Highways, Chennai-5. 8.1.3. Road Standards Recommended by the Indian Roads Congress (IRC): The constant endeavour is made by the State to meet the standards set for road improvement by the Indian Roads Congress (IRC). The fruits of the endeavour were reflected in the availability of roads. About 82 per cent of the State Highways and 66 114 per cent of the Major District Roads out performed the norms set as per IRC Standards albeit Other District Roads has miles to go to reach the IRC Standards. Table –8.4: Stock of Road Length and Standard Specified by Indian Roads Congress Type of Road Stock of Road Standard Specified by Availability of Road as Length During Indian Roads Congress per IRC Standard 2010-11 (Kmss) (Kmss) State Highways 10561 75 % should be Double 8709 Lane = 7921 Kmss (82%) Major District 11315 65% should be Double 7506 Roads Lane / Intermediate (66%) Lane (i.e.) = 7356Kmss Other 33182 50% of the total Road 2710 District should be strengthened (16.33%) Roads and to be improved = 16591 Kmss Source: Computed by DEAR using the data from Highways Department Chennai – 5. 8.1.4. Major Road Sector Investments in Tamil Nadu: The total investments made for the road projects implemented in the State, stood at `41230 crore in the end of March 2011 as compared to `31113 crore in March 2010, for the growth of road infrastructure and its multiplier effect on the trade and economy of the State. Ten projects are in various stages of progress in the State with a project cost of `15039 crore. The Chennai High Speed Elevated Transport Corridor spanning a length of 74 Kmss at a cost of `3000 crore is the major one. The State is taking tireless efforts to improve the road sector to ease the congestion in the main arterial roads leading to major cites. The other two high value projects viz. (i) Chennai Port – Maduravoyal (NH-4) Four Lane Elevated Road to the tune of `1813 crore stretching over 19 Kmss and (ii) Krishnagiri – Walajapet (NH-46) Six-Laning Road worth `1450 crore stretching over 148 Kmss are being implemented. Chennai Outer Ring Road Project Phase II was announced at a cost `1076 crore to give a fillip to the expanding Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA). The work on the Chennai Outer Ring Road Project, Phase-I, which is being implemented for a length of 29.65 Kms at a cost of `1,081 crore has already triggered the multiplier effect and this is very well evident in the mushrooming housing layouts floated by the real estate in the areas abetting the ring road. Table -8.5: Status of Investment in Road Project Status As of March 2010 As of March 2011 Nos. Kms Project Cost Nos. Kms Project (`Crore) Cost (`Crore) Under 7 693.72 8072 5 429.78 6544 Implementation Announced 3 771.00 6219 5 810.40 8495 Total 10 1464.72 14291 10 1240.18 15039 Outstanding 31113 41230 Investment Source: Monthly Review of Tamil Nadu Economy, March 2010& March 2011 CMIE. 115 8.1.4.1. Review of National Highways Road Executed by National Highways Wing of High Ways Department: The improvement, maintenance and renewal works of the National Highways for a length of 4873 Kms within Tamilnadu are shouldered jointly by the State Government and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) The NHAI took the lions’share by undertaking the required works for a length of 3260 Kms and the works for the balance 1613 Kms are taken were by the State Government through their National Highways Wing. The maintenance works for National Highways were carried out with the funds provided by the Centre. 8.1.4.2. Performance of National Highways under Operation and Maintenance: Coming to the nitty-gritty of the works, during the period from 2006 to 2010, roads for a length of 3260 Kms is maintained by NHAI, and the improvement of NH roads for a length of 1307 Kms including 22 bridges had been done for `613 crore. Out of `227 crore sanctioned by Government of India for the maintenance of road for a length of 1613 Kmss by the State Government, `169 crore had been spent in 2009-10, of which `152 crore was spent for a road length of 225 Kms, `12.8 crore for a one high level bridge in NH 210 in Ramnad district and balance of `4.2 crore for minor bridges located in Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar and Coimbatore districts.