Railway consultancy firm RITES on Wednesday began the soil test for the Machilipatnam deep sea port in Krishna District in Andhra Pradesh, state Transport Minister Pergi Venkataramana said.
The Standard Penetration Test (SPT) that will assess the soil properties and penetration resistance was being carried out in six locations in the proposed port area and three spots in the sea under the aegis of the Machilipatnam Urban Development Authority (MUDA), he told reporters here.
RITES had been entrusted with the task of preparing the estimations and technical studies to begin the construction activity, he said adding the state government had created a Special Purpose Vehicle for the project.
Then chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu had in February last year laid the foundation stone for the deep sea port to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 12,000 crore.
It will come up in an area of 2,800 acres in Tapasipudi village near here.