CHENNAI: The process of commissioning detailed project reports for establishing four fishing harbours, setting up a multipurpose port at Rameswaram, and development of Nagapattinam port, as part of the Sethusamudram project, has begun.

Sethusamudram Corporation Limited (SCL) chairman and managing director N.K. Raghupathy said this at a meeting chaired by Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T.R. Baalu, in New Delhi on Monday, to review the progress of the project. Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project envisages dredging a ship channel across the Palk Straits between India and Sri Lanka.

A press release from the Minister's office said the SCL head told the meeting that as apart of the coastal community development programme (of the project) and in consultation with Tamil Nadu Government, the Corporation had initiated the process of selecting consultants for the reports.

The reports on the fishing harbours at Muthupet, Sethubavachatram, Tondi and Mukaiyur are expected to be completed by March next year. The reports for the port projects at Nagapattinam and Rameswaram will be ready by June.

Review by Baalu

Mr. Baalu also reviewed the action taken by the Corporation following the decision to entrust the preparation of DPR for Colachel port as a transhipment port for container traffic.

According to the release, since the project work began in early July last year, about 62 lakh cubic metres of dredging had been carried out in Palk Strait. The Dredging Corporation of India Limited was entrusted the entire dredging work. One of its cutter suction dredger, presently on charter to a multinational dredging firm, would be re-delivered to the DCI shortly for deployment in the Sethusamudram project.

It is scheduled to commence dredging in Adam's bridge latest by December 1.

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