CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated projects and laid the foundation stones for development works worth about Rs 13,000 crore in Tamil Nadu, including the Chennai Metro Phase-II stretch.
The projects include port infrastructure works worth Rs 640 crore at Chennai and Kamarajar ports, a Rs 517.19-crore container terminal at VOC Port in Thoothukudi, and road and railway infrastructure projects.At VOC Port, the container terminal is part of eight projects involving a cumulative investment of Rs 753.68 crore. The port projects are aimed at expanding cargo-handling capacity, improving logistics and strengthening infrastructure.
Modi also laid the foundation stones for NH projects worth around Rs 3,700 crore. These include a 36-km four-lane stretch of NH-744 between Vadugapatti and Therkuvenganallur to improve connectivity to pilgrimage destinations and industrial and commercial centres.
He inaugurated a 30-km four-lane section of the Madurai Ring Road, part of NH-744A, to divert through traffic away from the city and ease congestion. He also laid the foundation stone for a four-lane bypass at Thiruvarur on the Nagapattinam-Thanjavur section of NH-83 to improve traffic flow and road connectivity.
The PM also laid the foundation stone for Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited’s Rs 1,620-crore Group II/III Lube Oil Base Stocks (LOBS) project at its existing Manali refinery in Chennai. With a planned capacity of 270,000 tonnes per annum, the project will produce base stocks for premium-quality lubricants, reducing dependence on imports and strengthening domestic manufacturing.