TN developing two minor ports

New terminal coming up at Madurai airport.

The Tamil Nadu government is developing two captive ports at Punnakkayal and Manappad in Thoothukudi district besides adding an integrated terminal at the Madurai airport.

Highways and minor ports principal secretary K Allaudin said the Manappad port, which will handle LNG vessels, would up come on 100.41 acre at an investment of Rs 1,800 crore while the port at Punnakkayal will come up on 8.41 acre at Rs 150 crore. The land for both the projects has already been acquired.

Both the ports have been declared open for use by private entrepreneurs, who would develop the required infrastructural facilities.

Speaking about the Rs 130crore Madurai airport expansion, Allaudin said a new integrated terminal to handle 500 passengers would be ready by March and handle international flights. The government has accorded administrative sanction for acquisition of 616 acre for the airport expansion. The new terminal will have aero-bridges and flight information display systems among other facilities.

At present, an average 500 passengers use the airport on 11 flights. The 7,500 ft runway can accommodate a wide-bodied aircraft now. Further extension of runway to 12,500 feet is under way.

Meanwhile, local industry representatives are sore over the Airports Authority of India not notifying the Madurai airport as an international airport despite having facilities for landing an A-320. Tiruchirapalli and Coimbatore airports, which have similar infrastructure, have been declared International airports long ago.

CII Madurai zone chairman and joint managing director of TV Sundaram Iyengar and Sons R Dinesh recently said southern districts had witnessed a three-fold growth in the last decade. These districts contributed Rs 2,50,000 crore to the state’s GDP.