Union Shipping Minister G. K. Vasan on Saturday handed over yet another instalment of the Chennai port and Ennore port’s contribution for the Chennai-Ennore port road project to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
The Chennai port’s contribution was Rs 27 crore and that of Ennore’s was Rs 3 crore. Out of the total project cost of Rs 600 crore, the Chennai port and Ennore Port Ltd will contribute Rs 250.48 crore and Rs 37.02 crore respectively for the project. The rest will be borne by the Tamil Nadu Government and NHAI.
The Minister said that 45 per cent of the work has been completed.
The project road network comprises 30.1 km, including five stretches — Ennore Expressway, Chennai port fishing harbour road, Tiruvottiyur-Ponneri-Panchetti Road, Manali Oil Refinery road, and the northern segment of the Inner Ring road. It is also implementing shore protection measures along the Ennore coast.
Later in the evening, the Minister took the sea route to take stock of the salvage operations of Pratibha Cauvery, which has been stranded along the Chennai coast for over a week now. Speaking to the media on board the tug Ocean Sparkle, the Minister said the ship would be moved to a safe location in the next three days. Cyclone Nilam pushed the ship, anchored in outer anchorage, to the shores of Chennai.
Chennai Port Trust Chairman Atulya Mishra said the vessel owner, Pratibha Shipping, will decide where to take the vessel.