TN asked to select hub for Chennai-B'lore corridor

State identifies two hubs, but may stick to Ponneri in North Chennai

The Tamil Nadu government has been asked to soon finalise the node (industrial hub) for the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC).

TK Nair, adviser to the Prime Minister, who today held a closed door review meeting here said it was decided to create nodes (hubs) in the first phase at Vasant Narasapur at Tumkur in Karnataka and Krishnapatnam near Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, while Tamil Nadu suggested Hosur and Ponneri.

“We have advised the Tamil Nadu government to finalise one of them quickly,” he told Business Standard.

The meeting was attended by top officials from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, along with representatives of Japanese industries and officials from Jica.

However, a senior official from the state said the government would pick Ponneri in North Chennai, due to its proximity to Japanese industries and quick access to Chennai and Ennore ports.

Nair said 25 projects had been identified by Jica in consultation with the DIPP and state governments, which will be put on a priority to decongest Chennai and Ennore ports. The major projects include mega container terminal at Chennai Port and Ennore Port, ro-ro berth, multicargo terminal at Ennore Port, greenfield airport at Sriperumbudur, four laning of roads from Hoskote near Bangalore up to Renigunta in Andhra Pradesh, rail link connecting Sriperumbudur to Oragadam, Bangalore-Chennai expressway, high-speed rail link between Chennai and Bangalore among others.

The techno economic feasibility and viability study for the high speed rail link and track upgradation between Chennai and Bengaluru will be done by the Indian railways.

“As of now, timelines have been met. The integrated master plan for the project will be finalised by March 2015, and the next stage is to prepare a detail project report for the nodes as suggested by the state governments.”

The CBIC project will be developed on the lines of Delhi-Mumbai Industrial corridor. The Prime Minister’s Office will be monitoring theproject up to a point and it would later be handed over to an institution, which will coordinate works with the respective state governments.

The final second interim report of the CBIC would be submitted by early June 2014. The draft final report is expected to be ready by December, 2014, and the timeline for the final report is March, 2015.