Centre Unveils Rs 2.19bn Port Projects In Chennai

12 Jan 2026 CW Team

At Chennai Port Authority, four projects with a combined investment of more than Rs 1.29 billion were inaugurated. These include the strengthening of nearly 850 metres of the eastern breakwater, where the revetment has been upgraded with redesigned slopes and tetrapod armouring to improve protection against storms and cyclones.

A new firefighting pump house was commissioned at the oil dock areas of Bharati Dock 1 and 3 to enhance emergency preparedness in hazardous zones. The port also inaugurated the modernisation of Chennai Port Hospital, upgrading it into a 125-bed facility spread across around 127,000 sq ft, with improved wards, operation theatres, diagnostics and enhanced safety systems.

The fourth project involved the launch of an Enterprise Business System, an integrated SAP-based digital platform designed to reduce paperwork, cut delays and improve turnaround time for port users by streamlining operations.

At Kamarajar Port, the minister laid foundation stones for two infrastructure projects and launched an e-Port Clearance Portal to enable electronic port clearance for shipping lines and agents. One of the projects is a Rs 0.014 billion northern access road connectivity initiative, involving the realignment of a 360-metre stretch of the port’s boundary wall to facilitate faster cargo evacuation.

The port has also completed the rehabilitation of a 202-metre damaged section of the northern breakwater at a cost of Rs 1.05 billion, using heavy tetrapods and rock armouring designed by IIT Madras. Sonowal said the projects would strengthen port resilience, improve safety and speed up operations, contributing to lower logistics costs and more efficient cargo movement.

Together, Chennai and Kamarajar ports crossed 100 million tonnes of cargo handling in 2025 for the first time. Chennai Port handles about 1.8 million standard shipping containers annually, while Kamarajar Port handled 48.41 million tonnes of bulk and liquid cargo last year, with utilisation exceeding 80 per cent of its capacity.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday inaugurated and laid foundation stones for port infrastructure projects worth about Rs 2.19 billion at Chennai Port Authority and Kamarajar Port, aimed at strengthening coastal protection, safety systems, healthcare facilities and digital operations. At Chennai Port Authority, four projects with a combined investment of more than Rs 1.29 billion were inaugurated. These include the strengthening of nearly 850 metres of the eastern breakwater, where the revetment has been upgraded with redesigned slopes and tetrapod armouring to improve protection against storms and cyclones. A new firefighting pump house was commissioned at the oil dock areas of Bharati Dock 1 and 3 to enhance emergency preparedness in hazardous zones. The port also inaugurated the modernisation of Chennai Port Hospital, upgrading it into a 125-bed facility spread across around 127,000 sq ft, with improved wards, operation theatres, diagnostics and enhanced safety systems. The fourth project involved the launch of an Enterprise Business System, an integrated SAP-based digital platform designed to reduce paperwork, cut delays and improve turnaround time for port users by streamlining operations. At Kamarajar Port, the minister laid foundation stones for two infrastructure projects and launched an e-Port Clearance Portal to enable electronic port clearance for shipping lines and agents. One of the projects is a Rs 0.014 billion northern access road connectivity initiative, involving the realignment of a 360-metre stretch of the port’s boundary wall to facilitate faster cargo evacuation. The port has also completed the rehabilitation of a 202-metre damaged section of the northern breakwater at a cost of Rs 1.05 billion, using heavy tetrapods and rock armouring designed by IIT Madras. Sonowal said the projects would strengthen port resilience, improve safety and speed up operations, contributing to lower logistics costs and more efficient cargo movement. Together, Chennai and Kamarajar ports crossed 100 million tonnes of cargo handling in 2025 for the first time. Chennai Port handles about 1.8 million standard shipping containers annually, while Kamarajar Port handled 48.41 million tonnes of bulk and liquid cargo last year, with utilisation exceeding 80 per cent of its capacity.

Infrastructure Transport

12 Mar 2026

Kavach 4.0 Commissioned on Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah

"Kavach version four has been commissioned on 1,452 route km, covering the high density Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah corridors. The rollout included laying 8,570 km of optical fibre, installation of 1,100 telecom towers, deployment of trackside equipment over 6,776 RKm and establishment of 767 station data centres. Trackside implementation has been taken up on 24,427 RKm covering Golden Quadrilateral, Golden Diagonal and High Density Network sections. The programme aims to strengthen signalling and train protection on key routes.Kavach is an indigenously developed automatic train protecti..

Infrastructure Transport

12 Mar 2026

Railways Advance Kalyan–Murbad Line And Mumbai Capacity Expansion

"Indian Railways is advancing multiple rail infrastructure projects in Maharashtra, including the sanctioned Kalyan–Murbad new line and sizable investments under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project and the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail project. The Kalyan–Murbad 28 km new line has been sanctioned at Rs 8.36 billion (bn) on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis with the Government of Maharashtra and has been declared a Special Railway Project for land acquisition; proposals covering 214 hectares are at various stages of acquisition. Budgetary outlay for projects falling fully or partly in Maharash..

Infrastructure Urban

12 Mar 2026

Parliamentary Panel Flags Funding Gaps in Heavy Industries

"The Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry (Rajya Sabha) presented its 332nd report on the Demands for Grants 2026-27 of the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI). Figures converted from crore and lakh are expressed in million (mn). The Budget Estimates 2026-27 for the Ministry stand at Rs 79,399 mn against a projected requirement of Rs 94,843.2 mn, a shortfall of about 16 per cent, with revenue at Rs 79,370.8 mn and capital compressed to Rs 28.2 mn from Rs 5,020 mn.The committee flagged recurring BE-to-RE compression and declining revised estimate utilisation, and calle..