Project would have brought down congestion on roads caused due to containers carrying trucks
Picture for representational purpose
Chennai: The marine highway project, initially mooted last year to transport containers on barges between Chennai and Ennore ports, risks being a non-starter after having met with a poor response from private operators. This despite the Chennai port trust repeatedly extending the bid submission date for the estimated Rs5.60 crore project.Tenders for developing the highway on a lease period of 10 years were originally floated in February last year with the final submission date fixed for March.
But it has since been postponed to the first week of December this year. “We had extended the date hoping it would attract interested parties, but till now we have had no bids for the project,” a Chennai port trust (CPT) official said. Chennai port, the second largest container handling port in the country, handles about 1.5 million containers annually. Earlier this month, Union shipping minister Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for a Rs1,270 crore container terminal project at Ennore port, to be developed by Adani Ports Ltd.
The project was conceived to bring down congestion on roads caused due to containers carrying trucks. But prospective developers seem to have raised two basic issues that threaten to pose roadblocks for the project. “While custom officials want to check containers at both points, operators contend that this will result in unwarranted delay. Furthermore, there are a few operational issues such as assured container volumes per day and the creation of infrastructure to facilitate shipment,” the CPT official said.
According to Chozha Naachiar Rajasekar, Pesident of the Tamil Chamber of Commerce, instead of developing a marine highway, it will be prudent to concentrate on completing pending road development works. “Authorities should immediately take up the Maduravoyal- Chennai Port elevated corridor and also complete the much delayed Ennore- Manali Road Improvement Project,” he said.
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