Rs 1.48 bn infra push to augment Chennai & Kamarajar ports capacity

Sarbananda Sonowal opened a bunker berth at Bharathi Dock, a goods shed yard at Jolarpet and a 40 kld (kilo litres per day) sewage treatment plant at the Chennai port. These initiatives cost more than Rs 550 million in total. The innovative Sagarmala project of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) provided funding for the 182 m bunker berth project, which has a cost of Rs 502.5 million. This will make it possible to increase capacity by 1 MMTPA (million metric tonnes per year) and accommodate bunker tankers up to 10,000 DWT. This would meet the bunkering requirements of ships stopping at regional ports like Chennai, Kamarajar, and Katupalli as well as other ships travelling through the area.

The 15,000 sq m big goods shed facility, with loading and stacking capabilities at Jolarpet, will facilitate cargo transportation from up to Chennai Port through railway, enhancing movement of freight, particularly containers. Additionally, the port will receive a revenue share from the Terminal Access Charges (from Southern Railway).

The 40 KLD sewage treatment plant will enable the reuse of waste water after treatment for a variety of uses as part of MoPSW's Green Port Initiative. With an investment of Rs 880 million, the 4.8 km access road to Kamarajar Port from Vallur junction to NCTPS junction was built as the Amrit Mahotsav Marg. This would facilitate hassle-free cargo transit by improving road access to the port. Under Sagarmala and one of the National Infrastructure Pipeline projects of the MoPSW, the widening and concreting of the port access road from Vallur Junction to NCTPS Junction was finished.