Shipping Minister G.K.Vasan has launched a project related to the development of a 37-kilomter-stretch of the National Waterway-Four (NW-4) between Sholinganallur to Kalpakkam in the South Buckingham Canal in Tamil Nadu.
Vasan said the projects main components include dredging and excavation to develop navigational channel, construction of three terminals and navigational locks, replacement of one existing bridge at Kelambakkam, and installation of navigational aids.
He said that the central government has sanctioned the release of over Rs.123 crores for the project that is expected to be completed in two years.
The minister said that other stretches of the National Waterway-4, which covers the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, would also be taken up for development subsequently.
The NW-4 covers a total length of 1078 kilomters consisting of the Kakinada-Puducherry canal systems integrated with Godavari and Krishna Rivers.
The canal will be developed to make it suitable for safe navigation of cargo vessels up to 300 ton capacity for transportation of general cargo like food grain, fertilizers, building materials, etc.
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The canal shall also be suitable for movement of the passenger and tourist vessels of higher capacity from Chennai to Mahabalipuram and in future upto Puducherry and vice versa.
Vasan also inaugurated an office of the Inland Waterways Authority of India at the campus of the Indian Maritime University in Chennai.
He also addressed the Fifth Shipping Conclave organised by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry.