Possibility of Chennai to Cuddalore ship service

Maritime varsity to get Cabinet nod - The New Indian Express

The Indian Maritime University proposal at Semanchery will get cabinet approval in the next Parliamentary session said Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T R Baalu.

Inaugurating the five-day Bharat Nirman Campaign at Okkiyam Thuraipakkam on Sunday, the Minister said the proposal would be tabled for approval next week.

In the next parliament session, approval will be given and become a law. Besides the university, a massive maritime complex in an area of 400 acres, is also on the anvil, the Minister said.

To boost internal shipping transport, the Buckingham Canal will be dredged to a length of 1,750 kms at an outlay of Rs 600 crore. Small ship service would be made feasible from Chennai to Cuddalore once the project became a reality.

The scheme has also been submitted to the Central Government for approval, Baalu said.

Speaking about the performance of the shipping industry, the Minister said in the last 18 months, the tonnage had increased from 7.05 million tonnes to 8.65 million tonnes.

The Central Government has allowed Rs 1,00,000 crore for port development works which has to be completed by 2009. Out of this, a container terminal at Tuticorin would be developed at an outlay of Rs 150 crore, a second container terminal at Chennai Port at Rs 490 crore, a coal terminal at Enore at Rs 380 crore and an iron terminal near Enore at an outlay of Rs 500 crore.

Speaking about the Central Government road projects in the state, T R Baalu said in Tamil Nadu Rs 16,000 crore has been taken up under various central funded schemes.

Roads for a length of 3,200 kms have been taken up by the National Highway Authority. 265 kms on the Golden Quadrilateral, 34 kms on the North-South corridor and Chennai two-way bypass road measuring 19.20 kms and Tambaram-Tindivanam for 93 kms both on NH 45 have been completed in the first phase.

A total of 444.60 kms at an outlay of Rs 2,453 crore is in progress in the state. This includes the Golden Quadrilateral, North-South Corridor, port connectivity scheme and others in Phase 1 and 2 of the National Highway development scheme.

State highway roads development from Central funds has been taken up from May 2004 in Tamil Nadu for a length of 1,140 kms at an outlay of Rs 177 crore, Baalu said.