CHENNAI: The Government has formulated a policy for minor ports in the State to provide exclusive facilities to import coal, naphtha, oil and natural gas and encourage exports.

The development of the ports would be through public-private partnership and would adopt the build, own, operate transfer (BOOT) route. It would promote export-oriented industries and port-based industries along the coastal districts, Highways Minister M.P.Saminathan informed the Assembly on Monday.

Replying to a debate on the demands for grants, he said the BOOT agreement would be for 30 years, extendable up to 50 years. There are seven minor ports managed by the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board and eight by private firms. All the minor ports are anchorage ports.

Improvements to road network

The Minister said special attention would be paid to eliminate backlog in maintenance works, upgrade single lane stretches to two-lane, improve urban roads and rural connectivity. A total of Rs.801.37 crore had been allotted for maintenance works for 2006-07. Also, Rs.15 crore has been provided to improve 50 important accident-prone locations. Improvement of rural roads - totalling 2,880 km and 24 bridges - would be taken up at a cost of Rs.363 crore.

Towards this end, the Centre had declared 270 km of State Highways as National Highways (Thanjavur- Manamadurai and Tiruchi-Chidambaram). Also, 1,902 km of major district roads and 761 km of other district roads had been declared as State Highways and 3,812 km of other district roads upgraded as major district roads.

Work would be taken up on 29 Railway Over bridges and Railway under bridges in a phased manner.

With the assistance of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, 22 major bridges (each costing over Rs. 1crore) and 251 bridges (less than Rs. 1 crore) and 1,376 km of roads would be developed. The government had sanctioned these works. Coimbatore, Tirupur and Erode would have circular roads, just outside the towns. Tiruvarur would get a new bypass.

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