The Hindu : Front Page : “Ferry service soon from Tuticorin to Colombo”

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Thursday, Oct 28, 2010
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“Ferry service soon from Tuticorin to Colombo”

Staff Reporter

Work to be taken up in first week of November
Delegation visited Colombo on
October 14, 15

TUTICORIN: Ferry service between Tuticorin and Colombo is expected to resume shortly.

Additional infrastructure facilities would be created at the Tuticorin port. The work would be taken up in the first week of November and completed in a month, A. Subbiah, Deputy Chairman, Tuticorin Port Trust, told ‘The Hindu' here on Wednesday.

Amenities were put in place at the Port Trust during 2003-04 to facilitate passenger traffic but the decision on resumption of ferry service was put on hold due to security threats. The passenger terminal would have increased surveillance under Central Industrial Security Force, passport reader, scanner, exclusive counters for customs and immigration facilities, cabins for officials, child care centre, cafeteria and a helpline. A series of consultative meetings had been conducted with officials of Customs, Immigration and Port Health to ensure preparedness, Mr. Subbiah said.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Union Minister for Shipping G.K. Vasan said a high-level delegation headed by the Secretary (Shipping) visited Colombo on October 14 and 15 and held discussion with officials of the Sri Lankan Government. He stated that the delegation had discussed with its counterparts, Minister of Ports and Aviation of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and finalised the details of the Memorandum of Understanding to be signed between the two countries. All efforts were being made to begin the ferry service at the earliest.

With this, Tuticorin is poised for a major growth. It would be an added advantage to the industrial fraternity and export agencies, which were largely dependent on the logistic support extended by Tuticorin Port.

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