Tamil Nadu nod to work on corridor to Chennai port

Chennai: Work on the elevated four-lane corridor connecting Maduravoyal with Chennai port is likely to resume with the revised alignment approved in May 2017 by the state.

The detailed project report is under finalisation and will be completed in April 2018, said Chennai port trust chairman P. Raveendran. It may be noted that the 19 kilometres elevated project was started in 2011 and has been hanging in the balance due to multiple reasons including official apathy.

The revenue model for the national highway project is being finalised and the road network inside the port is being augmented through widening of existing roads to improve the internal flow of traffic and ease congestion, the chairman said during the sidelines of Republic Day celebrations.

To harness clean energy, 500 KW solar panels on rooftops of port buildings have been commissioned towards the green initiative. And to monitor the environmental parameters, especially the ambient air quality levels three state of the art continuous monitoring station have been commissioned inside the port and are continuously feeding data to the electronic display boards installed. After implementation of strict dust suppression measures inside the Port the ambient air quality level, especially the PM10 and PM2.5 levels have reduced significantly to well below the permissible value. 

Under the green port initiatives, dust suppression system, plantation, energy generation from renewal energy sources are being taken up inside the port at an outlay of Rs 6 crore, Raveendran said.

Two modern godowns have been commissioned for catering to the requirements of clean cargo and the construction of the coastal berth at the northern sheltering arm will be completed in June 2018 adding to the existing cargo volumes. To improve rail connectivity, land has been transferred to the Southern Railway and shifting of the Port’s compound wall is underway, the Ravendran added.

Based on a last year’s MoU with Puducherry Port, dredging work is nearing completion and shipping operation will commence shortly between Chennai and Puducherry to decongesting the roads, he added.