TUTICORIN: The Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, T R Baalu, has said that his Ministry will submit a proposal seeking in-principle approval from the Union Cabinet to construct a major port at Colachel.

The Sethusamudram Corporation Limited was preparing a detailed feasibility report for the project, the Minister said.

Detailing the four-laning work, Mr. Baalu said that the entire 756-km stretch of north-south corridor passing through the State would be completed before December 31, 2008.

"Presently, about 25 per cent of work has been completed and steps are taken to expedite the job in a few sectors where it is progressing at a slow pace," he told reporters at Tirunelveli on Thursday, after reviewing the work on National Highway (NH) 7 passing through Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts and National Highway 7 A covering Tuticorin port and Tirunelveli.

Conveying that the four-laning of the Panagudi-Kanyakumari stretch, which was suspended earlier by the National Highways Authority of India owing to problems in land acquisition, would resume soon after re-bidding, he said that the work on NH 7A, taken up under the port connectivity scheme, too would begin soon.

The Minister claimed that the work had gained momentum on Panagudi-Tirunelveli stretch after some initial setbacks and so far 26 per cent had been completed.

Mr. Baalu said that his Ministry has planned to set up trauma care centres on every 50 km of NH.

Sethu project

On the opposition to Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project (SSCP) from various political parties, Mr. Baalu said that the project would be completed as per schedule (in 2008).

He ruled out the possibility of changing the alignment at this stage. "The present route was chosen only after it was ascertained that the other alignments were unfeasible," he added.

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