The suspension of civil works on the Chennai Port – Maduravoyal elevated four lane link road project since February 2012, has put two vital projects of the Chennai Port Trust (ChPT) in limbo.
The affected projects are the Rs.3,686-crore Mega Container Terminal and the Rs.415-crore integrated dry port and multi-modal logistics hub near Sriperumbudur. As no bids were received in the recent past, the ChPT has decided to restructure these projects.
In the case of Mega Container Terminal, a consultant will be appointed shortly, who will look into the possibility of dividing the project to make it viable on the lines of Ennore Port Ltd.
These two projects are at the different ends of ChPT and it was to be connected by the Rs.1,815 crore elevated project. Short-listed bidders refused to take up these projects, fearing low returns and less volume associated with congestion issue. Interestingly, the same set of bidders took part in the Ennore Port project.
A ChPT official said, “The stoppage of Maduravoyal project is ruining us. For Mega Container Terminal, we received a revenue share of 5.25 per cent. If this elevated projected had progressed as per schedule, we could have demanded more than 30 per cent of revenue. In other words, we will be losing crore of rupees every year.”
Talking to The Hindu , Shipping Minister G.K. Vasan said: “The project has been stalled by the State government. It is an important project for the Port and the city. We had requested the State government several times to expedite the project. Recently, the Shipping Secretary also discussed the importance of the project with the State Chief Secretary. We will ask the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to take up the issue with the State government.”
