Union Minister answers Congress member Vaithilingam’s question in Lok Sabha
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal has said that about 50% of the dredging work at Puducherry Port has been completed.
Replying to a question by MP V. Vaithilingam in Lok Sabha on Friday, the Union Minister said that 45-50% dredging work has been completed till January 27.
In 2017, Chennai Port Trust (CPT) and Puducherry Port (PP) entered into an agreement to develop PP as a feeder port of CPT.
In 2018 a test run between Chennai and Puducherry using a special container vessel found PP to have low draft. He said a tender was floated to remove 73,000 cubic meters of sand from the port mouth.
Mr. Sonowal said that the regional administration had sought financial assistance for the development of the port under the Sagarmala scheme.
The government planned capital dredging, construction of jetties, container berthing facilities, and access roads and bridges.
The Center had sanctioned ₹44 crore for capital dredging, the minister said.
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