TN objects to Andhra port in Chennai-B'lore corridor

Andhra Pradesh wants two ports to be part of the corridor

The Tamil Nadu government has objected to a proposal to include Krishnapatnam port located in Andhra Pradesh in the Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor (CBIC).

According to sources, Tamil Nadu believes some its ports would lose out on cargo handling to the newer ports if the proposal is cleared.

Speaking to Business Standard after chairing a review meeting on the CBIC here, TK Nair, adviser to the Prime Minister, said the Tamil Nadu government had questioned the need to include the port when there was enough capacity at Chennai, Ennore and Kattupalli ports.

Some of the stakeholders in the project agreed the corridor should connect with more ports to meet the future needs, to which, Nair also agreed to.

He said the Ministry of Shipping had been asked to give its recommendation on the proposal after consulting with all the stakeholders.

The CBIC project, supported by the Japanese government and the country’s development agencies,  is being overseen by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Responding to Tamil Nadu's apprehensions, K Pradeep Chandra, principal secretary, Industries and Commerce, Andhra Pradesh, who was present at the meet, said the Chennai and Ennore ports had been facing congestion, and the inclusion of Krishnapatnam would de-congest them.

“The ports in AP can be a good alternative and can help decongest the traffic at the main ports. Also, Krishnapatnam is a deep water port unlike Ennore and Chennai ports,” Chandra said.

Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh government also suggested Dugarajapatnam Port be added in the future expansion of the corridor.

The shipping ministry is planning to set up a greenfield port at Dugarajapatnam in Nellore, located around 120 km from the sensitive Pulicat Lake and the Sriharikota satellite launching centre.

Krishnapatnam Port, which started operations in September 2012, achieved a record 101,542 TEUs (20 foot equivalent unit) cargo, including cement, maize, food grains, timbers among others.

Officials at the Japan international Cooperation Agency (Jica) said Krishnapatnam port would not affect business at Chennai, Ennore and Kattupalli ports.