The Hindu : Front Page : Port-Maduravoyal elevated corridor gets nod

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Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008
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Port-Maduravoyal elevated corridor gets nod

T.S. Shankar and T. Ramakrishnan

— Photo: S. Thanthoni

A view of War Memorial from where the Chennai port-Maduravoyal elevated corridor will start.

CHENNAI: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has secured in-principle clearance from the Central government’s Public Private Partnership Approval Committee (PPPAC) for the Rs.1,468-crore elevated corridor from the Chennai port to Maduravoyal.

The NHAI will float bids for execution after obtaining Planning Commission approval. An official of the NHAI says the go-ahead is expected in a month’s time. A senior State government official describes the PPP approval committee’s clearance as a “major step forward.”

When NHAI chairman Gokul Ram was in the city recently, he sought the help of the State Highways Department to expedite the works relating to land acquisition and resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R).

To be implemented by the Central and State governments under the National Highway Development Programme Phase VII, the project is aimed at improving port connectivity. Mooted by the Chennai Port Trust and the NHAI, the proposed road links Chennai Port Trust Gate No.10 with Maduravoyal. The proposed road between Chennai port and Koyambedu will go along the Cooum river bank. The stretch from Koyambedu to Maduravoyal will come up on the central portion of Poonamallee High Road.

The project involves R&R and land acquisition components, which are estimated to cost Rs. 345 crore. The State government would meet 50 per cent of the cost of land acquisition and R&R, subject to the condition that the Chennai Port Trust would initially bear the entire cost. The State government’s share would be met through the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The government issued an order to this effect in March.

The government official explains that the corridor would help in speedier movement of heavy vehicles bound for the Chennai port, lessening the traffic on Poonamallee High Road.

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