Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday inaugurated the Rs. 3,375-crore Kattupalli minor port-cum-shipyard through video conferencing.
A joint venture between Larsen and Toubro (L&T) and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), the minor port is spread over 1,143 acres in nearby Tiruvallur district and has a ship building yard, the biggest in the country, says an official release. The port can handle big cargo ships, vessels carrying LNG and petroleum fuel and also has fabrication facilities for ship building.
Ms. Jayalalithaa also inaugurated a cement plant set up by the Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited at Kagithapuram in Karur district through video conferencing.
While thanking the Chief Minister, company officials invited traders to make use of the new facility that could be used an alternative venue for Ennore and Chennai Port. While it might be too early to say when the next vessel would arrive, an official hoped that exim activities would pick up in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Ennore Port officials have decided to convene a meeting of trade representatives within a fortnight to hear their grievances. Incidentally, it would be the first meeting of the newly appointed chairman cum managing director M.A. Bhaskarachar.
Once again, Port users have called for widening the North Chennai Thermal Power Station road as the Tiruvottiyur-Ponneri-Panchetti road is likely to become busy due to container traffic.
Built at a cost of Rs. 100 crore, the plant will be the first to use lime sludge and fly ash from the residue of the paper factory. The plant would provide employment to 300 persons.
The government asked Development Consultant Private Limited on the occasion to prepare a detailed project report to increase the annual output of Ariyalur cement factory from five lakh metric tonnes to 15 lakh metric tonnes, the release says.
The Chief Minister also gave away appointment letters to eight persons on compassionate grounds and seven persons whose lands were acquired for the company. An ambulance and jeep worth Rs. 25 lakh were also donated.
The port can handle big cargo ships, vessels carrying LNG and petroleum fuel. It has fabrication facilities for ship-building, the release said.
While thanking the Chief Minister, company officials invited traders to make use of the new facility that could be used an alternative venue for Ennore and Chennai Port.
Meeting planned
Meanwhile, Ennore Port officials have decided to convene a meeting of trade representatives within a fortnight to hear their grievances. Incidentally, it would be the first meeting of the newly appointed chairman-cum-managing director M.A. Bhaskarachar.
Once again, port users have called for widening the North Chennai Thermal Power Station road .