Chennai, Ennore ports to get new infrastructure

New infrastructure will be created in Chennai and Ennore ports, and road and rail connectivity will be improved to ease congestion and cope with the expected growth in container traffic.

On Tuesday, T R Baalu, Union minister of shipping, road transport and highways, gave an in-principle approval for the development of a second container terminal at Chennai Port.

A government press release said the planned terminal would cost Rs 491.76 crore. Chennai Port would contribute around Rs 100 crore for the terminal, and the balance would come through the entity that wins the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) contract. The quay length of the terminal would be up to 826 metres.

Ennore port, north of Chennai port, is also likely to have a new terminal. D T Joseph, secretary in the ministry of shipping, in a recent meeting in Chennai with industry participants said that there was scope for a terminal there.

According to the Union government's press release, by 2020 Chennai port would have to handle container traffic in excess of 2 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalents).

In addition to creating infrastructure in the ports, the state and central governments have begun improving the rail and road links between the ports and key points in order to ease the congestion at the ports.

An official of Chennai Container Terminal, which manages the terminal at Chennai port, said that while the turnaround time for a ship is 24 hours, containers take three days to leave the port.

K Suresh, chairman of Chennai Port Trust, said that a special purpose vehicle (SPV) had been formed by the Tamil Nadu government, Chennai Port Trust, Ennore Port and National Highways Authority of India to improve road connectivity to Chennai port.

A Rs 165-crore project has started to link Chennai port to two national highways, said Suresh. He added that port authorities had also sought 60 acres of land north of the port in order to establish a rail link with the place. The aim is to store containers at the location and regulate the flow of traffic in to the port.

Suresh said that another project to improve the road connectivity to the port was under consideration.

A Rs-450 crore project to build an elevated corridor on Poonamalle High Road- an arterial road- and create a link between the port and an exit route from the city was under consideration, he said.