Bankers’ performance evaluated

The 55th district-level review meeting for bankers convened by the Lead Bank (State Bank of India) here on Wednesday evening, evaluated the performance of banks during the first quarter vis-À-vis annual credit plan targets set for the district.

The Collector, R. Palaniyandi, who chaired the meeting, said that the overall achievement of banks for the first quarter of this fiscal against the proportional ACP targets for the corresponding period was not satisfactory.

Though the service sector achieved 152.22 per cent of the target, agriculture and industry sectors attained only 70.34 and 17.93 per cent of the targets.

He said that the credit to deposit (CD) ratio stood at 84.06 at the end of first quarter, which was more than the Reserve Bank of India norms of 60.

“The high ratio was an indicator of healthy ground level disbursement and also reflective of growth in credit flow to small and medium enterprises as well as service sectors,” he added.

Similarly, priority sector advances to total advances ratio and agricultural advances to total advances ratio stood at 60.64 and 26.45 per cent, more than the RBI norms of 40 and 18 respectively.

However, weaker sector advances to priority sector advances ratio was below the RBI norms of 25.

R. Bharat Kumar, Assistant General Manager of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, and senior managers of various banks were present.

Public hearing on Rs.4,000-cr. Power Plant held in Tuticorin

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, on 29th September, conducted a public hearing on the two 500 MW power plants to be established by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) here on an outlay of Rs. 4,000 crore.

The meeting chaired by the Collector, R. Palaniyandi, elicited the views of local people on the proposed project. Explaining the salient features of the project and its benefits to the public, R. Ganapathy Sankaran, Superintending Engineer (Project and Environment), TNEB, said that the plants would help bridge the gap between the demand and supply of power in the State.

The plants would come up on 130 hectares of land near the existing 2 X 1,050 MW Tuticorin Thermal Power Station.

Of the total area, 80 hectares would be utilised for the establishment of main plants, cool water pipe line, conveyor belt for carrying coal and housing colony for employees. The remaining area would be used to set up an ash dyke for the disposal of wet slurry.

The coal requirement for the project was computed as 5.6 million tonne per annum, considering 6,000 hours of operation.

Answering the environmental concerns raised during the hearing, N. Sasikumar, Executive Director (Projects), TNEB, said that of the total project cost, about Rs. 400 crore was earmarked for pollution control.

He assured that fly ash generated would not be disposed into the sea; rather the eject (fly ash) would be supplied to construction industry.

He said that high efficiency precipitators would be used to reduce the emission of suspended particulate matter (SPM). To bring down air pollution arising from sulphur dioxide, coal with low sulphur content (0.4 percent) would be used. The generators and turbines used inside the plant would be fitted with silencers to reduce noise pollution.

Mr Sasikumar said that employment opportunities for local people, and health and educational facilities in the area would be improved by the commissioning of the project.

Minister for Animal Husbandry P. Geetha Jeevan and District Environment Engineer of TNPCB S. Shanmugasundaram were present.

Demonstration against Shifting of EB bill Counter in Tuticorin

The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) cadres staged a demonstration in Tuticorin on 24th september, to protest the recent shifting of electricity bill counter for Tuticorin Urban (West) consumers to a new location.

P. Puviraj, district secretary, DYFI, said that shifting of the counter from Chidamabra Nagar to Caldwell Colony was an “incorrect” decision taken by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board since the customers covered under Urban (West) are located at Kurinji Nagar, Viswapuram, Jebanagar, Yogeeswarar Colony, and Netaji Nagar, which were far away from Caldwell Colony.

The agitators demanded that the counter should be shifted to a location adjacent to the New Bus stand on Tuticorin-Ettayapuram road.

Chennai – Tuticorin special train

Southern Railway will operate special trains between Chennai Egmore and Tuticorin during October to clear the extra rush of passengers for Ramzan/Pooja festivals:


Chennai Egmore – Tuticorin – Chennai Egmore (weekly) Specials:


T.No.0633 Chennai Egmore – Tuticorin Special will leave Chennai Egmore at 22.45 hrs. on Saturdays from October 6 to 27 and arrive Tuticorin at 12.15 hrs. the next day.


T.No.0634 Tuticorin – Chennai Egmore Special will leave Tuticorin at 21.15 hrs. on Sundays from October 7 to 28 and arrive Chennai Egmore at 10.00 hrs. the next day.


The composition of the trains will be 1 AC 2-tier, 1 AC 3-tier, 10 Sleeper Class, 4 General Second Class and 2 luggage-cum-brake van coaches.


The trains will stop at Tambaram, Chengalpattu, Tindivanam, Villupuram, Vriddhachalam, Tiruchchirappalli, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Sattur, Kovilpatti and Vanchi Maniyachchi. T.No. 0634 will stop at Mambalam also.


Advance reservation for the above trains has commenced on September 29, according to a Southern Railway press release.

SC/ST hostel students go on an indefinite fast

Inmates at the student’s hostel established by the Adi Dravidar Welfare Department near New Bus Stand on Tuticorin-Ettayapuram highway for SC/STs started an indefinite fast in Tuticorin on 27th September.

They were protesting the “infrastructural weaknesses” on the premises.

The students said that despite repeated representations made to the officials concerned, hygiene and sanitation needs were not taken care of properly.

New Technology developed by Tuticorin Directorate of Fisheries Extension

A technology developed by the Directorate of Fisheries Extension, Tuticorin for mass production of artemia, a live food for ornamental fish, is rendering value-addition to salt pan owners.

The new procedure was recently tested successfully at the salt pan of Ayya Prince, owner of Sri Sankara Salt Farm, at Puthalam in Kanyakumari district.

The Directorate, coming under the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, gave away indigenous strains of artemia to the entrepreneur after he was imparted training in outdoor culture of the organism.

J. Daniel Jameson, Director of the Directorate, told The Hindu here that Mr. Prince was advised to limit the stocking density of artemia to 2 lakh for every 1,000-square metre plot.

The salinity variation of the water was initially kept between 70 and 80 parts per thousand (ppt). The artemia was then fed with Dunaniella, a green algae, found in the salt pans. “As the salinity rises to 130 ppt once the pan was exposed to radiation from the sunlight, the artemia start laying eggs,” Dr. Jameson said.

Mr. Prince harvested 3.5 kg of artemia cyst (containing seven crore cysts), which fetched him Rs. 3,500. Artemia contains 53 per cent of protein and 15 per cent of fat.

The culture of artemia would purify the brine media in the pans as the organism fed on suspended matters, waste and live planktons of 50 micron in size, helping the entrepreneurs produce salt free of impurities.

Contests on tourism held in Tuticorin

The Department of Tourism in association with the V.O. Chidambaram College, Tuticorin, conducted inter-collegiate cultural competitions in Tuticorin on 25th September, as part of World Tourism Day celebrations. Essay, quiz and elocution contests were held on the theme of ‘Tourism opens door for women’.

About 50 students from Annammal College of Education for Women, Tuticorin, K.R. College of Arts and Science, Kovilpatti, A.P.C. Mahalaxmi College for Women, Tuticorin, S.S. Duraiswamy Nadar Mariammal College, Kovilpatti, Sri Kumara Gurupara Swamigal Arts College, Srivaikundam, Govindammal Aditanar College, Tuticorin, and V.O.C. College, Tuticorin, took part in the event. T. Chellappa, District Tourism Officer, said that prizes to the winners will be distributed today.

‘CEO summit’ held in Tuticorin

A three-day training programme on ‘CEO summit’ organised by Pearl City Academy for Leadership and Management Skills, concluded in Tuticorin on 22nd September.

The programme was aimed at enhancing skills of chief executive officers of industrial units.

Ramesh Batavia, trainer and motivator from Bangalore, delivered lectures on ‘leadership styles’, ‘productive teams’, ‘working environment’, ‘delegation vs abdication’ , ‘powerful leadership’, ‘achievement is everything’ and ‘making happiness a habit’.

CEOs from Chennai, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Kovilpatti, Rajapalayam, Dindigul, Virudhunagar and Rajapalayam attended.

Earlier, K. Subburaj, chairman, Cethar Vessels, inaugurated the event.

Three infiltration wells commissioned in Tuticorin

Minister for Animal Husbandry P. Geetha Jeevan on Saturday commissioned three infiltration wells and a submersible pump established by the Tuticorin municipal administration along the Tamiraparani basin.

Official sources said the wells, each having a diameter of 4.5 metres and a depth of 6 metres and the pump with a capacity of 7.5 Horse Power, were set up on a total outlay of Rs.40 lakh allocated from the municipal exchequer.

With this, an additional 4.74 million litres of water a day would be supplied to the town.

Presently, the municipality supplies 21 million litres a day drawn from the six infiltration wells situated adjacent to the Tamiraparani.

A 40 HP motor would be established at Rajaji Park here to enhance supply of water to the overhead tank situated near the New Bus Stand on Tuticorin-Ettayapuram road, the sources said.

Likewise, plans are in the offing to rejuvenate the water scheme established in the town during 1932, which has been remaining defunct for sometime.

A 175 HP motor would be established to revive the project, so as to supply another 6 million litres of water a day to the town, the sources said.

Municipal Chairperson R. Kasturi Thangam, Commissioner R. Lakshmi, Junior Engineer M. Saravannan and Senior Town Planning Officer M. Rakkappan were present.

Agricultural Video conferencing introduced in Tuticorin

The Department of Agriculture has introduced video conferencing in the district linking the office of the Joint Director in Tuticorin with the head office in Chennai.

It will facilitate online review of the performance pertaining to productivity targets.

In a first video conferencing meeting held this week, Joint Director of Agriculture M. Mohandas briefed the Agriculture Production Commissioner on paddy that was raised on 4,085 ha, millet on 22 ha, pulses on 1,448 ha, cotton on 614 ha and oil seeds on 741 ha during the current fiscal till August 31.

He said 7,925 tonnes of paddy, 554 tonne of millets, 250 tonne of oilseeds and 415 tonne of cotton were produced during the first five months of this fiscal.

Mr. Mohandas said that to augment productivity, 21 tonnes of paddy seeds, 11.3 tonnes of pulse seeds and three tonnes of millet seeds had been distributed to farmers at subsidized rate between April 1 and August 31.

Similarly, 1,512 tonnes of nitrogen, 902 tonnes of phosphorous, 1,034 tonnes of potash (all fertilizers) and 10,000 liters of plant protection chemicals were given away to farmers during the same period at subsidized rate.

Deputy Director of Agriculture Gandhirajan Agriculture Officer I. Joseph and members of Tamil Nadu Farm women in Agri Business and Extension groups were present.

Latest technology in farm sector disseminated

A mega ‘Kissan mela’ organised by Agricultural Technology Management Agency was held in Tuticorin on 22nd Saturday.

Official sources said that the fair was arranged to disseminate technological advances in the agricultural sector to the farmers and to make them aware of the role of high quality inputs in enhancing productivity of crops.

In all, 17 stalls were established by various departments, research institutes and private firms to showcase certified seeds, agricultural implements, fertilizers and government schemes.

V. Subramanian, chief scientist, Agricultural Research Station, Kovilpatti, explained features of KC-3 variety of cotton developed by the station recently to visitors and how it was suited for rainfed conditions.

He said that use of the type would yield a lint length of 26.4 mm and a ginning percentage of 37.

The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University deciphered the importance of pre-monsoon sowing for raising cotton, sorghum, pulses, maize and sunflower.

The expo also gave an insight into the agronomy practices such as furrow system to conserve soil moisture.

The stall set up by the Department of Sericulture explained the process involved in manufacturing ‘twisted silk.’

The veterinarians from Department of Animal Husbandry explained the steps to combat diseases among the cattle.

The Pepsico India Holdings Private Limited elucidated the methodology to extract sap from seaweeds, which could be used to enhance plant growth.

Earlier, Minister for Animal Husbandry P. Geetha Jeevan inaugurated the mela and distributed certified seed, hand sprayers and coconut seedlings to farmers under various government-sponsored schemes.

Collector R. Palaniyandi, Joint Director of Agriculture M. Mohanados, Superintendent of Police Deepak Motibhai Damor and officials participated.

Minister inaugurates additional bus services

Minister for Animal Husbandry P. Geetha Jeevan flagged off additional bus services in different stretches across the district here on 22nd September.

The additional shuttle services would ply on Vilathikulam-Tiruchendur, Koramballam- Siluvaipatti, Tuticorin-Mappilayoorani, Muthiapuram-Collectorate, Thermal Power Station-Tuticorin town, Tuticorin-Vagaikulam (via Mudivaithanenthal) and Tuticorin-Nazareth (via Malavaraianatham, Chenkulam and Vellamadom) sectors.

Ms. Jeevan said that a water cooler and a separate office for the time-keeper would be established at the Old Bus stand here, as part of augmenting the amenities.

Similarly, a bus shelter exclusively for minibuses would be built at the new bus stand on Tuticorin-Ettayapuram highway.

“The capital required for these development works would be taken from the Tuticorin MLA’s constituency development fund,” the Minister said.

G. Paulraj, General Manager (Tirunelveli region), Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, said that the average fuel efficiency of buses in the region (i.e.) Tirunelveli region presently was standing at 5.20 km. Likewise, operational efficiency of the region had touched 102 per cent during the current financial year. He said that plans were in the offing to introduce two ultra deluxe buses in Tiruchendur-Chennai sector before the end of the third quarter of this fiscal. D.J. Selvakumar, Divisional Manager (Tuticorin), TNSTC, was present.

Two flyovers to be constructed in Tuticorin

The Collector, R. Palaniyandi, held talks with a team of top railway officials from the Madurai Division of Southern Railways in Tuticorin on 18th, as part of efforts to ease traffic congestion at the railway level-crossings across the district.

Regarding the traffic congestion in Tuticorin City owing to closure of three railway gates, Mr. Hemant Kumar, Divisional Railway Manager, Southern Railways (Madurai Division), said that the Railways had decided to build flyovers at Railway Gates No: 1 and 2 on a cost sharing basis with the State Government.

“The construction of the road overbridge (ROB) at Railway Gate No: 3 have been fast nearing completion,” he said. Mr. Kumar added that the newly constructed railway gate (Gate No: 4) would be commissioned shortly, as soon as the necessary sanction was accorded by the office of Commissioner of Railway Safety (Bangalore circle). Once the Gate No: 4 was opened for the traffic, the Gate No: 3 would be closed to facilitate the completion of ROB project there.

Mr. Kumar said that as part of beautification of Tuticorin railway station, greenery would be established on the premises and entrance to the station would be widened.

He said that the division had finally forwarded the proposal to the authorities concerned to establish ‘cement concrete aprons’ beneath the sleepers at tracks laid at the platforms in the Tuticorin station.

Rs.6-crore slum works planned in Tuticorin City

Municipal Chairperson R. Kasturi Thangam has said that the administration will take up works on an outlay of Rs.6 crore during the current financial year under the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme in the Tuticorin city.

Speaking at a municipal council meeting on Friday, she said the project was aimed at ameliorating the living standards of urban slum dwellers at select localities by providing adequate shelter and basic infrastructure to them at Sundervelpuram, Polpettai, Kandasamypuram, Cruzpuram, Threspuram, Krishnarajapuram and K.V.K. Nagar.

Ms. Thangam said that repair works would be carried out and stormwater drains built along five road stretches on a total outlay of Rs.31.25 lakh before the end of the current fiscal.

Commissioner R. Lakshmi and Engineer S.A. Rajagopal were present.

Freedom Fighter Memorial Innagurated in Tuticorin

Speaker R. Avudaiappan inaugurated new memorials for freedom fighters Vellaiya Thevan and Veeran Sundaralinga Devendran at Vallanad and Governagiri near Tuticorin City, respectively, on 20th and 21st of September.

Each of the memorials was constructed by the Public Works Department at a cost of Rs 25 lakh.

Official sources said that the edifices would be maintained by the Department of Information and Public Relations.

The memorial for Vellaiya Thevan having a plinth area of 231.2 square metre was built on a 41 cent plot. Neatly trimmed lawns were established on the premises to add beauty to the tourism spot.

Likewise, the cenotaph of Veeran Sundaralinga Devendran, a warrior and deputy army chief for Veerapandia Kattabomman, was constructed on a 49 cent tract.

Minister for Information Parithi Ellamvazhuthi said that the Government would consider the public requests to set up libraries at the memorials of freedom fighters.

Mr. Avudaiappan disbursed welfare assistance worth Rs.12.5 lakh allocated under various government-sponsored schemes to 383 beneficiaries.

Minister for Animal Husbandry P. Geetha Jeevan, Director of Public Relations A. Chittaranjan Mohandoss, Collector R. Palaniyandi, Secretary of Tamil Development, Religious Endowments and Information Department D. Rajendran and District Public Relations Officer S.R. Sarathy participated .

Perfomance of Tuticorin Courts Reviewed

P. Jyothimani, the Judge of the Madras High Court, conducted an inspection at the Tuticorin District court complex on 21st September.

He reviewed the performance of various courts functioning at the complex pertaining to parameters such as pending and disposed cases.

The judge also studied the infrastructure available in the court for both the judges and the lawyers. The Principal District Judge, Gokul Das, the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mary Anzalam, the Judicial Magistrates, Sasirekha and Hemant Kumar, the Fast Track Court Judges, Ramachandran and Krishnan, were present. Later, he was felicitated by the Tuticorin Bar Association at a function held at Thanpadu Uppu Sangam auditorium here.

Industrial Exhibition in Tuticorin City

Minister for Animal Husbandry P. Geetha Jeevan inaugurated a three-day mega industrial exhibition jointly organised by the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Institute, Government of India, and Thoothukudi District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association here on Friday.

K. Nehruprakash, general secretary of the association, said that the main objective of the expo was to bring small and medium enterprises, government organisations, public sector units and industrial units on a common platform for business promotion and to identify competitive vendors.

A total of 120 exhibitors from Korea, Belgium, Germany, Singapore and India are taking part in the event.

Tourism Promotion Activities for Rs.1.06 crore in Tuticorin

Tuticorin district is home to several historically important places. Among them, the heritage towns of Kulasekarapattinam and Ettayapuram will get a facelift before the end of this financial year, as Department of Tourism is set to take up tourism promotion activities at these places on a total outlay of Rs.1.06 crore.

Official sources said that as part of the project, a park would be established at the historic Kulasekarapattinam town at Rs.44 lakh, to augment recreational activities along the beach. The town once boasted a minor port having commerce with Sri Lanka. The port lost its importance with the development of a major port in Tuticorin. The borough is also known for the popular ‘Dasara festival.’ Of the total cost allocated for setting up the park, Rs.11.55 lakh will be earmarked to establish ornamental structures like statues and artificial mountains in the park. Garden and elegantly trimmed lawn will be built at Rs.6.30 lakh. A amount of Rs.2 lakh from the allocation would be utilised to establish play materials like swings and slides for children and Rs.4.05 lakh to provide drinking water as well as toilet facilities to the visitors. A compound wall for the park will be constructed at Rs.5.10 lakh and illuminations will be installed at the recreation area at a cost of Rs.7.05 lakh. The remaining amount will be used for the establishment of a black top road (approach road) to connect the park to the nearest arterial road, to a length of about one kilometre.

The tourism potential of Ettayapuram, the town which houses the memorial and ‘illam’ (home) of the great poet Subramaniya Bharatiar, will be augmented at a cost of Rs.62 lakh. The project works to be taken up under the package include establishment of a rest shed, drainage facilities and improvement of water supply as well as roads in the town.

Advani gets warm welcome in Tuticorin

The former Deputy Prime Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Lal Krishna Advani, was accorded a warm reception by the party cadres at the Tuticorin airport at Vagaikulam on 18th September.

He was at the airport on a transit enroute to Tirunelveli. The senior leaders of the party’s State unit, Pon. Radhakrishnan (State vice-president), M. R. Kanagaraj (State observer), V. Rengarajan (District president) and S. Thirunavukarasar (ex-MP) garlanded Mr. Advani and honoured him with a shawl. The entire reception was held amidst tight police security owing to threat perceptions.

The Inspector General of Police, Sanjiv Kumar, Deputy Inspector Generals of Police, P. Kannapan and K.C. Mahali, and the Superintendent of Police, Deepak Motibhai Damor, supervised the security. Mr. Advani proceeded to Tirunelveli by car for attending a rally.

Audit on Tuticorin-Maniyachi railway section

A high-level team of Railway officials, led by the Chief Safety Officer of Southern Railway, M.C. Murali, conducted an audit on Tuticorin-Maniyachi section on 18th Sept., to ascertain that safety norms were followed according to the stipulated guidelines.

Interacting with the officials, Mr. Murali reiterated the need to phase out the unmanned railway level-crossings to reduce accidents.

“We have set plans to remove about 100 of the total 1,200 unmanned crossings situated under the jurisdiction of Southern Railway by either constructing road over-bridges or limited use subways (meant for light motor vehicles and two-wheelers) at those spots, during this fiscal,” he said.

According to him, a total of 51 ‘limited use subways’ would be established by the Southern Railway during the current financial year. He said that the railway administration has been operating a state-of-the-art ‘accident relief machinery’.

“We are periodically conducting mock drills to check the efficiency of the machinery,” he added.

He said that once the gauge conversions were over, more trains are bound to come to Tuticorin.

D.K. Nayak, Additional Divisional Railway Manager (ADRM), Southern Railway (Madurai), said that the division was exploring the possibility of setting up a ‘24-bogey’ pit lane in Tuticorin.

The capacity of the present pit lane here having a capacity to hold 18 bogies, is now being upgraded to hold 21 bogies.

The Chief Track Engineer, P.K. Mishra, the Chief Signal and Telecommunications Engineer, T. Yadaiah, the Chief Electrical Service Engineer, R.P. Udayakumar, the Divisional Engineer, Robert Rajasekaran, and the Chief Rolling Stock Engineer, Kabir Ahmed, all of Southern Railways, were present during the inspection.

Final photo electoral rolls released in Tuticorin

The Collector, R Palaniyandi, released the ‘final photo electoral rolls-2007’ for six of the seven Assembly constituencies in the Tuticorin district, at a function held at the office of Revenue Divisional Officer in Tuticorin on 18th September.

The rolls were published after making inclusions in the draft photo electoral rolls published in the district on May 25.

Speaking to reporters, Dr. Palaniyandi said that the photo electoral rolls for Kovilpatti constituency would be published on September 20, after verification of a few more data. He said that according to final photo electoral rolls, there were 1,24,804 electors in Vilathikulam, 1,11,656 in Ottapidaram, 1,16,205 in Sattankulam, 1,36,913 in Tiruchendur, 1,12,300 in Srivaikundam, and 1,96,859 in Tuticorin Assembly segments.

“The final rolls showed an increase in the number of electors in all the six constituencies vis-À-vis the voters figured in the draft photo electoral rolls,” he said.

Assembly segment-wise, number of electors increased by 2.05 percent in Vilathikulam, 1.9 percent in Ottapidaram, one percent in Sattankulam, 1.8 percent in Tiruchendur, 1.58 percent in Srivaikundam and 3.05 percent in Tuticorin.

Dr. Palaniyandi said that the final photo rolls would be available at Collectorate, offices of Revenue Divisional Officers, municipal offices, taluk offices and polling stations for verification of electors.

The District Revenue Officer, P Anbarasu, the RDO (Tuticorin sub-division), P Kalaimani, the Tahsildar (Tuticorin taluk), K. Velusamy and the Tahsildar (elections), N B Nagarajan, were present.

Tuticorin Port plans Rs 5,310 crore expansion

Tuticorin Port plans a major expansion involving investments of around Rs 5,310 crore to create additional capacity and infrastructure on the back of growing industrial activity and meeting capacity demands from the trade.

The port is planning to augment its capacity from the existing 20.55 million tonnes to 40.60 million tonnes through an Inner Harbour Development Programme.

This envisages construction of a coal berth, development of a container terminal, construction of new berths and development activities like dock basin dredging to cater to 12.8-metre draft vessels at a cost of Rs 961.75 crore, according to A Subbiah, deputy chairman, Tuticorin Port.

The port, through a futuristic Outer Harbour Development Programme, is also planning to create additional capacity of 37.5 million tonnes by 2012-end and would aim for 43.7 million tonnes by 2017. The plan is estimated at an outlay of Rs 4,350 crore, Subbiah added.

Garments and textile exporters and importers of machinery in Tirupur, Karur and Salem regions are using Tuticorin Port for their import and export activities since the port has direct connectivity to American and European ports, besides ports in East Asia and South-east Asia.

Tuticorin Port handled 18.70 million tonnes of cargo during 2006-07, registering 9 per cent growth over previous year’s figures of 17.14 million tonnes. Container traffic stood at 377,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) as compared to 321,000 TEUs in the previous fiscal, registering growth of 17 per cent.

For the current fiscal, the port has set a target of 20.05 million tonnes of cargo traffic and 400,000 TEUs.

The operating income of the port was Rs 183.05 crore for 2006-07 as compared to Rs 159.04 crore the previous year. Profit after tax (PAT) was Rs 88.76 crore, up 39 per cent over Rs 63.76 crore in the previous fiscal.

With the expected completion of the Sethusamudram project in 2008, ports on the east coast and west coast of the country are expected to use Tuticorin Port as a transhipment hub, resulting in its emergence as a hub container port in near future, a Tuticorin Port statement said.

Considering the business potential and increasing industrial activity in the region, CII has opened its district office in Tuticorin, inaugurated on Saturday by MS Srinivasan, secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

At the launch of CII office, Srinivasan hinted that Tuticorin, being a major port on the east cost of the country, would gain in a big way with the Centre’s increasing attention on East Asian economies.

Source: Business Standard

Expansion Planned at Tuticorin Port

Tuticorin Port in India is reportedly planning a major expansion to create significant additional capacity and infrastructure on the back of growing demand.

According to reports in the Indian media, the port is planning to augment capacity from 20.55 million tonnes per annum to 40.60 million tonnes through the so-called Inner Harbour Development Programme.

This envisages construction of a coal berth, development of a container terminal, construction of new berths and dock basin dredging to cater to 12.8m draft vessels.

In the longer term, the port is also planning an Outer Harbour Development Programme, which would create further additional capacity of 37.5 million tonnes by 2012.

Source: Dredging News

Tuticorin set for economic growth, feel experts

The port town of Tuticorin, located in one of the less-developed regions of Tamil Nadu, is set to see significant economic growth on the back of changing focus of India’s engagement with the world, improving infrastructure and increasing entrepreneurial activity in the region, according to panelists at a recent seminar.

Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas secretary MS Srinivasan said the underdevelopment of Tuticorin Port’s hinterland and the union government’s ‘Look West’ policy till recently had kept the port and the region from achieving its full potential. “Now, the centre of gravity has shifted from west to east, and this augurs well for Tuticorin,” he said. He was speaking at the Explore Export 2007 Conference, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry in Tuticorin on Saturday.

He said, in the past, the lack of development in the hinterland slowed down growth of the port, which otherwise had a lot of advantages. “Ideally, the hinterland should feed into port and the port in turn would feed into the hinterland,” he added. This in turn was because of lack of infrastructure — especially, good roads, which had a direct impact on development of the areas around.

Containerisation of cargo could also help in faster development, Mr Srinivasan said. India took time to containerise. Even now, while 70% of goods movement is containerised globally, it’s 30-35% in India.

Mr A Subbiah, deputy chairman, Tuticorin Port Trust said, in order to meet the growing needs of users, the port is planning to augment its capacity from the existing 20.55 million tonnes to 40.60 million tonnes through an Inner Harbour Development Programme. This would envisage construction of a coal berth, development of a container terminal, construction of new berths and development activities such as dredging of dock basin to cater to 12.8-metre draught vessels at a cost of Rs 961.75 crores.

The port is planning to create additional capacity of 37.5 million tonnes by end 2012 and would aim for 43.7 million tones by 2017 through the Outer Harbour Development Programme to be implemented at an outlay of Rs 4,350 crore, he said.

Manikam Ramaswami, vice-chairman, CII — Tamil Nadu State Council and CMD, Loyal Textile Mills said infrastructure was key to support growth . This is in the context of the growing demands from global retailers and narrowing lead times for delivery. Power is another constraint. Cost of power in Tamil Nadu is two times than that of other Asian countries.

According to a survey by CII, there were 300-500 trippings a year in the state outside Chennai, he said.
Dr R Palaniyandi, district collector of Tuticorin said there was immense potential for agro processing, wind mill generation, biomass gasifiers and tourism in the Tuticorin district.

Source: Economic Times

Two 1000MW Powerplants at Tuticorin

The Tamil Nadu Government has approved the setting up of four merchant power plants with a total generating capacity of 6,000 MW. These plants are to come up along the coast – one each at Cuddalore and Nagapattinam, and two near Tuticorin, according to official sources.

According to the sources, the projects that have been approved are – UDI Infrastructure (2,000 MW at Cuddalore), Tridem (2,000 MW, Nagapattinam), Coastal Gen (1,000 MW, Tuticorin) and Free City (1,000 MW, Manappadu near Tuticorin).

Merchant power plants, unlike other power plants that sign power purchase agreements with utilities, compete for customers and absorb the full market risk. Typically, according to the Power Ministry, the risk of a merchant power plant is carried on the balance sheet of the promoter.

CCC has Tuticorin SEZ approval, waiting for notification

Consolidated Construction Consortium plans to raise Rs 188 crore in their IPO with a price band offer of Rs 460-510. S Sivaramakrishnan, MD, Consolidated Construction Consortium said that the company is already geographically spread across six regions with offices in Pune, Kolkatta and Delhi to cover the North, West and East region. He added that though presently, South India is leading the order book, they hope to balance it out over the years.

Talking about their proposed food processing SEZ near Tuticorin port, he said that they are working on the master plan. He added that the approval has been obtained and they are waiting for the notification.

Excerpts of CNBC-TV18’s exclusive interview with S Sivaramakrishnan:

Q1: Your order book as on July 31 2007 which is stated at 2050 is about 2.5 times your FY07 sales. What sort of an order book position do you see at the end of FY08 vis-a-vis the kind of revenues you will do for the same?
A: I am constrained to speak on the future. Otherwise we hope to get the same kind of growth, upto 40-50% growth.

Q2: Your fixed price contracts, can you tell us how much that gives you as a percentage of your order book and how much does it give you as a percentage of your overall revenues?
A: Our fixed price contract is hardly about 10% of our overall order. For all the rest, we have the escalation past through, it’s there available.

Q3: Also your exposure to South India, at this point in time what percentage of your total order book position comes in from South India and how are you looking to diversify?
A: Right now we have already geographically spread across six regions. We already have offices in Pune, Kolkatta and Delhi, to cover the North, West and the East. Right now our Delhi regions are already picking up large orders.

In that surrounding Delhi region about six states we have already working Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, UP we are already working apart from Delhi itself. The Kolkata region is already started picking up order from Bhubaneshwar and Kolkata.

So geographically, yes presently South India is leading the order book. But we hope to balance out over the years.

Q: Specific word on your SEZ and plans you are looking to setup a food processing SEZ. Could you tell us what area of land and what are the plans in terms of investments for the same?
A: Basically it’s that we have already acquired 358 acres near Tuticorin port. It’s exclusively for food processing. We are just working on the master plan. We are yet to get the notification, the approval has come and the notification is likely to come later. So we are discussing with our master plan consultants.

Source: MoneyControl.com

Tuticorin announces expansion

The Indian port of Tuticorin has announced a $1.3 billion building project to help it meet an expected growth in traffic.

Tuticorin Port Trust (TPT) officials say the plans include the construction of a new coal berth and the development of a new container terminal from an existing berth.

The project is scheduled to boost cargo handling capacity from 20.55 million metric tonnes (mt) per year to 40.60 million mt through an Inner Harbour Development Programme.

According to TPT deputy chairman A Subbiah, a future Outer Harbour Development Programme is also being planned to create additional cargo handling capacity of 37.5 million mt by 2012 and 43.7 million mt by 2017.

Key sectors using Tuticorin port are garment and textile exporters and importers of machinery in the Tirupur, Karur and Salem regions.

Tuticorin gives them direct links to the United States and to European and Asian ports.

According to the TPT, the Sethusamudram shipping canal project is expected to be completed next year and ports on both the east and west coast are expected to use Tuticorin port as a transshipment hub.

The Sethusamudram shipping canal project plans to provide a continuous navigable sea route around the Indian peninsula.

The project is expected to boost economic development of the coastal state of Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, 2006-07 figures show that Tuticorin port handled 18.70 million tonnes of cargo, a 9% growth year-on-year.

Container throughput for the same period grew 17% to 377,000 twenty-foot equivalent units.

Source: PortWorld

Tuticorin Malayalis come together for ‘Onam’ celebrations

Traditional dance performances and folk arts of Kerala, comedy skits, a sumptuous ‘Onasadhya’ (feast), dazzles of ‘kasavu mundu’ and ‘kasavu saris’ and cultural programmes encapsulated Onam celebrations of the Malayali fraternity in the city on 9th September.

The Kerala Samajam, which organised the 32nd edition of Onam festival at Roopavathi Palace Thirumana Mandapam, ensured that the celebrations had a stamp of zeal and fervour to make the Malayalis here touch the home base. Comedy numbers and film songs presented by a group of television and cine artistes from Thiruvananthapuram formed the part of the celebrations.

A group of students from Annammal College of Education for Women, Tuticorin, who hail from Kerala, took the audience down the memory lane to their childhood days in the neighbouring State with the presentation of ‘Thiruvathirakali’ and ‘Onam songs.’

The ‘Onasadhya’ offered on the occasion captivated the foodies. Rice was the main course, supplemented by dishes such as curries, ‘upperies’ (fried food), pickles, ‘pappadams’ and ‘payasams.’ The feast was prepared by cooks brought from Paravoor in Kerala.

“The annual Onam celebration gives an opportunity for Malayalis staying in various places across the town to congregate at one place,” tells P. George Thomas, secretary of Kerala Samajam.

Anti-Tobacco Rally in Tuticorin

National Cadet Corps officers and cadets took out a rally in the city on 9th September, to create awareness among the public on the ill effects of using tobacco for smoking and chewing.

M. Kasturi Thangam, chairperson, Tuticorin municipality, flagged off the rally in front of the Tamil Nadu Maritime Academy on Beach Road.

F. Benny Morais, troop commander, NCC (Naval unit), and senior NCC officers, Lieutenant Kumaraswamy, Sub-Lieutenant Jessie, Second Officer Nirmala and Third Officer, Santinal, were present.

The NCC cadets of V.O. Chidambaram College, St. Mary’s College for Women, St. Lasalle Boys Higher Secondary School, Holy Cross Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, and St.Joseph’s Girls Higher Secondary School, constituted the rally.

4 Sri Lankan fishermen arrested

The Coast Guard on 8th Sept. arrested four Sri Lankans who were fishing in the Indian waters without proper documents.

The Coast Guard sources said Jute Limus Appuwami (45), Antony Sunil Appuwami (41), Francis Nimal Apwani (33), and P.Selvin (35) were arrested about 45 nautical miles southeast off Manapadu, near Tuticorin. The mechanised boat was also seized.

A workshop on ecological sanitation conducted in Tuticorin

A workshop on ‘ecological sanitation for Tuticorin’ organised by Eco Solutions, a non-governmental organisation based at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala was held in the City on 8th September.

The programme was aimed at sensitising the different stakeholders including various government departments involved in sanitation projects on the importance of sanitation as an eco-solution.

Paul Calvert, Director, Eco Solutions, explained the functioning of dry compost urine-diverting toilet systems developed by the group, which were installed across the country under Ecosan project. “We have established 550 such toilet systems in Tuticorin district so far.”

According to him, the eco-toilets would destroy pathogens by keeping them contained until they were destroyed.

Besides, the system would help recycle human urine and faeces as fertilizers. He said that eco-toilets would minimise the usage of water since ash, soil, lime or biomass residues were used to cover fresh faeces and leave them odourless, thus enhancing water security in the country. The covering layer would aid decomposition or dehydration and kill the germs in the faeces.

Joint Director of Health S. Subbulakshmi, the Personal Assistant (Agriculture) to Collector Chandrasekaran and senior officials from health and allied departments attended the programme.

The participants were taken out on a field visit to villages in the district where eco-toilets had been established to demonstrate their functioning.

‘Explore Export-2007’ conference held in Tuticorin

Inaugurating ‘Explore Export-2007,’ a conference organised in Tuticorin, by the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Madurai Zone to promote Tuticorin as an export hub, Mr. M. S. Srinivasan, Secretary, Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, said that the country should enhance the containerised movement of cargo/goods to reduce the cost and time of transport.

He said the country needed to create exclusive cargo corridors for easier movement of goods from and to the ports. “We are lagging the rest of the globe in evolving cargo corridors by at least 10-12 years.”
Manickam Ramaswami, vice-chairman, CII, Tamil Nadu, said though the State was attracting a lot of investment recently, the industrial competitiveness was substantially affected by the poor quality and quantity of power. Furthermore, the cost of power was high. The increasing labour cost also affected the State’s industrial competitiveness. “The time has come to make a comprehensive study to analyse the components of labour cost.” V. Dharmarajan, deputy general manager, Export Credit Guarantee Corporation, explained the risk factors involved in export transactions.

CII Office opened in Tuticorin

On 8th September, Mr. M. S. Srinivasan, Secretary, Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, inaugurated the Tuticorin office of the CII at Millerpuram. Mr. V. Ramasubramanian, is chairman of the Tuticorin branch.

Minister inspects site for boat club in Tuticorin

Minister for Animal Husbandry P. Geetha Jeevan on Saturday inspected the site proposed for the establishment of a boat club by the municipal administration at Roche Park on Beach Road in tuticorin City.

Ms. Jeevan said that the establishment of the boat club and development of the park would be carried out on a total estimated outlay of Rs.95 lakh.

“The municipal administration and the Department of Tourism will bear the project cost equally,” she added.

The proposed boat club will have four boats to take the tourists for pleasure rides along a two km stretch of inshore waters.

As regards the development of the park, sources said that good quality grass would be grown to beautify the landscape.

Later, Ms. Jeevan also visited site identified for the establishment of a road at Kurinji Nagar on an outlay of Rs.15 lakh.

Municipal Commissioner R. Lakhsmi, Municipal Chairperson R. Kasturi Thangam, and Municipal Engineer S.A. Rajagopal were present during the inspection.

Erode-Nagpur rail freight corridor to help Tuticorin Port Services

Authorities of the Tuticorin Port Trust have suggested that the railways create a ‘backbone freight corridor’ connecting Erode with Nagpur, to facilitate goods movement from central India to the port.

The proposal is made in a ‘business plan’ prepared by the TPT for the overall development of trade volumes through the port.

A. Subbiah, Deputy Chairman, Tuticorin Port Trust, said that such a corridor would help expand the hinterland of the port beyond Bangalore. The dedicated rail corridor would reduce the time delays in transportation of goods to and from the port, which was essential to attract more users here.

Mr. Subbiah said a corridor between Erode and Nagpur would help the Chennai and Kochi ports too in terms of augmenting their export-import trade.

At the Tuticorin port, he said that inner harbour development works, including the creation of a coal berth, the conversion of Berth 8 into a container terminal, the construction of Berth 9, the structural upgrading of the coal jetty and the dredging of the basin to cater to 12.8 m draught vessels would be carried out at an estimated cost of Rs. 961.75 crore.

Security Management System for Tuticorin Port

A. Subbiah, Deputy Chairman of Tuticorin Port Trust, said that installation of an Integrated Security Management System (ISMS) proposed at the Tuticorin port on an outlay of Rs. 1.3 crore was expected to commence before the end of the this year.

Tuticorin port poised for handling more logs

Two sets of hydraulic grabs and specially-designed loaders have been commissioned at the Tuticorin port to handle logs, for the first time.

A. Subbiah, Deputy Chairman of Tuticorin Port Trust, said that the equipment were procured by St John’s Freight Systems, Tuticorin, in line with the decision taken at the port safety committee meeting recently.

According to him, these machines would bring about a sea change in the handling of logs by ensuring safety of dock workers, besides improving the productivity by leaps and bounds. The mechanised handling system would facilitate quick turnaround time of ships and attract more volume of logs and timber through the port, he said.

T. Johnson, Managing Director, St John’s Freight Systems, said that the equipment were imported at a cost of Rs. 3 crore. While the hydraulic grabs were acquired from Germany, the loaders were purchased from Sweden.

“We plan to handle about 4,000 tonnes of logs on an average a day, registering 125 percent increase over the manual handling techniques,” Mr Johnson said.

'Muslim Women Aid Society’ to be set up in Tuticorin

The Department of Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare is all set to establish a ‘Muslim Women Aid Society’ in the Tuticorin district this month to uplift the destitute Muslim women educationally and economically.

According to sources, the society will be registered shortly under the Societies Registration Act and it will function as a non-governmental organisation.

The activities of the society will be managed by a governing body headed by the Collector, who will be the ex-officio president of the society.

The Project Officer of Tamil Nadu Women Development Corporation will be the ex-officio vice-president and the District Backward Class and Minorities Welfare Officer, will be the ex-officio treasurer.

The other members of the governing body include a honorary secretary, two honorary joint secretaries and three honorary members, all nominated by the Collector from among the Muslim community for one year.

Source: The Hindu

Foreign students donate books to St.Lasalle School in Tuticorin City

Three students from Raffles Institution, a school in Singapore, turned good Samaritans for St. Lasalle Higher Secondary School in Tuticorin City.

M. Jerald, J. Jonathan and D. Lizheng handed over 1,500 books to the library at the local school during the first phase of the ‘window to outside world’ project mooted by them, on Friday (7th Sept.'07).

They plan to donate a total of 10,000 books under different stages. The trio started collecting books for the local school here when they heard that the library of the school was in need of funds to expand the library. The school library had only 3,000 books in its kitty prior to the donation.

The team members collected the books with the help of their friends, companies and non-governmental organisations back in their native land. They said that three major Singapore-based companies sponsored the procurement of books.

820 persons screened at medical camp in Tuticorin

The 100th free medical camp organised by the Department of Health in the Tuticorin district under "Varumun Kappom Thittam" was held at Koramballam, in the Suburbs of Tuticorin City on 6th Sept.

A total of 820 persons were screened for various diseases by doctors specialised in ophthalmology, cardiology, orthopaedics, ENT, Siddha medicines, and dermatology among other branches of medicine.

Collector R. Palaniyandi said 89,297 persons were screened during the first 99 camps in the district.

Of them, 1,247 were referred for advanced treatment to institutions such as Tuticorin Medical College and Hospital.

A total of 1,046 patients, who had attended the camps under Varumun Kappom Thittam, had availed follow-up treatment.

Mr. Palaniyandi said Rs. 3,05,187 worth of medicines were distributed. “Of this, Rs.1,65,190 were distributed through 59 camps in Tuticorin Health Unit District limits, and the rest through 40 camps in Kovilpatti HUD limits.”The ECG was carried out on a total of 3,274 persons and ultra sound scan on 2,972 persons at these camps. S. Uma, Deputy Director of Health Services, coordinated the proceedings.

Tuticorin to host 'TIE-2007' expo

"TIE-2007", a national level buyer-seller meet cum exhibition, will be held for the first time in Tuticorin City of Tamil Nadu from September 21 to 23.

TIE 2007 is an ideal platform for machinery, equipment, technology suppliers and service providers to market their products in south Tamilnadu. TUTICORIN is the gate way of Tamilnadu with numerous large and small scale industries.

The objective of TIE-2007 was to bring MSMEs, industries, government departments and PSUs under a common platform for business promotion and to showcase the strength and competitiveness of the MSMEs.

Top executives from the big companies, small and medium scale industries in Tuticorin & south Tamilnadu will be visiting the event.

The expo would be organised by the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development Institute, in association with the Tuticorin District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association (THUDITSIA).

Besides small and micro industries, large scale industries, both from the public and private sector, would participate in the meet, MSME Director Sivagnanam told reporters.

Profile for exhibit include Forklift, Crushers, Wind Mill, Wire Mesh, Bio Gasifies, Textile, Garment Industry, Solar Equipments, Vibratory Screens, Boilers & Spares, All kinds of Cranes, All Kinds of Pumps, Welding Equipments, Industrial Instrumentation, CAD/ CAM Machinery, Blowers and Compressors, Saw Mill & Wood Working, Food processing Equipments, Concrete Blocks Machinery.

About 126 stalls would be put up at the expo, which was expected to attract 10,000 visitors and generate a business of about Rs 20 to Rs 30 crore.

Venue : Alagar Mahal

Organizer:
Thoothukudi District Tiny & Small Scale Industries Association (THUDITSSIA)
15/C, D.S.A Complex, Nandagopalapuram West,
Tuticorin, India.
Tel: +(91)-(461)-2336005
Complex, Nandagopalapuram West,Tuticorin, India.Tel: +(91)-(461)-2336005

Dedicated textile cargo handling facilities at Tuticorin Port

The Union government is reportedly considering setting up dedicated textile cargo handling facilities at major international seaports and airports.

The government, along with the export promotion councils, has already identified certain international seaports and airports for the purpose, an official source said.

Such facilities are planned for apparel export and import cargoes at Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNP), Mumbai Port, Chennai Port and Tuticorin Port.

International airports at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore may also have dedicated textile cargo handling facilities, the official disclosed.

The move follows directions from a group of Ministers (GoM) which was formed to promote the growth of the textile industry.

The GoM included the Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, the Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, the Textile Minister, Mr Shankarsinh Vaghela, and the Commerce Minister, Mr Kamal Nath.

Sical to set up empty container yard at Tuticorin

Sical Distriparks is setting up an empty container yard at Tuticorin. The bhoomi pooja for the development of the yard was performed in Tuticorin on August 31.

Commenting on the new venture, Mr L. R. Sridhar, Wholetime Director and CEO of Sical Distriparks Ltd, said that the new facility would be the most modern and operational by January 2008.

Sical’s objective of setting up the yard is to cater to growing demand of empties repositioning at Tuticorin. With current volumes at 15,000 TEUs, Sical’s facility would cater to a third of the market requirements, which is 5,000 TEUs per month.

Currently, Sical manages a CWC container freight station (CFS) at Tuticorin which has a capacity of 26,000 TEUs per annum, which is 12 per cent of the port’s volumes.

To cater to the growing demand at the port, Sical will be setting up an additional CFS, which will have a capacity of 30,000 TEUs per annum by 2009-10.

When the new facilities come up, Sical will increase its market share to 15 per cent of the port’s volumes.

Mr R. Dhandapani, Vice-President of Sical Distriparks Ltd, was also present during the occasion.

V.O.C. Birthday celebrated in Tuticorin

The birth anniversary of the great freedom fighter V.O.Chidambaram was celebrated across the district with grandeur on Wednesday.

The Collector, R. Palaniyandi, garlanded the statue of V.O. Chidambaram on Ayyalu Naicker Street here. He recollected the deeds of V.O.Chidambaram as a freedom fighter, lawyer and a trade union leader. Born on September 5, 1872 at Ottapidaram in the district, Vulaganathan Ottapidaram Chidambaram holds the credit for launching the first indigenous steam navigation company, which ran a shipping service between Tuticorin and Colombo.

The dignitaries present remembered Chidambaram’s contribution as a lawyer who often pleaded for the poor, at times turning up in the cases where his father appeared for the affluent.

The Project Officer of Mahilar Thittam, M. Madasamy, and the president of V.O.C Statue Formation and Maintenance Committee, P. Vedanayakam, were present.

A. Subbiah, Deputy Chairman of Tuticorin Port Trust, paid homage to V.O. Chidambaram, as part of the celebrations organized by the TPT.

Sweets were distributed to students at Harbor School and port employees. At a seminar organized by the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Association, resources persons spoke on the literary works of Chidambaram.

BSNL commissions WiLL-BSC in Tuticorin

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has commissioned a ‘Wireless in Local Loop Base Station Controller’ (WiLL-BSC) here to enhance the quality of telephone connectivity in the district.

N.R. Natarajan, General Manager, BSNL, said that the BSC would function on the latest Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology, enabling the transmission of data through ‘spread spectrum’ modulation in which information takes larger bandwidth.

“This application ensures superior performance for personal communication systems in any ‘interference dominated’ environment,” he said.

With the introduction of WiLL-BSC, broadband services up to a speed of 600 kbps could now be provided in WiLL telephone connections too. “We have now decided to give 10,000 more WiLL connections in the district with the establishment of the BSC,” he said adding that “at present, there are 12,000 WiLL connections”.

He said that plans were in the offing to increase the capacity of WiLL connections by another 3,000 before the end of the third quarter of this financial year.

To widen the broadband network, a 32-connection capacity broadband exchange was set up at Servaikaranmadom near Tuticorin City recently. “Customers in the area could submit their applications immediately to obtain broadband connections,” the GM said.

Coastal Security measures reviewed

Director General of Coast Guard Rustom Faramroze Contractor on Monday reviewed measures taken by the Coast Guard station in Tuticorin to protect the marine environment in the Gulf of Mannar.

The security extended to the coral reef islands, offshore installations and other structures within the maritime zone were examined.

Mr.Contractor studied the operational preparedness of the Coast Guard fleet stationed in the Tuticorin port. He carried out assessment on board patrol vessels, Aruna Asaf Ali and Naiki Devi.

Ansaldo to set up boiler facility in Tuticorin

AnsaldoCaldaie Boilers India Pvt. Ltd plans to set up a power generation equipment manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu for boilers with capacities up to 660MW.

“The facility, apart from boilers, will also take care of piping fabrication and special alloys. By mid next year, we expect it to be in operational mode,” said A. Manjunath, executive director, technical and sales, AnsaldoCaldaie.

He declined to comment on the investments required for the project.

This facility is expected to help the Indian power sector, which has been reeling under a supply shortfall for power generation equipment.

India is expected to miss the target of adding 78,577MW of power generation capacity by 2012 because of shortage of equipment.

The target has been set by the government in an effort to ensure that the country has enough power to meet the needs of an expanding economy.

The power ministry is of the view that Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Bhel), the country’s largest manufacturer of power generation equipment, does not have the capacity to meet the huge Plan targets and it would require manufacturers such as Ansaldo to fill the gap.

The Ansaldo facility, to be set up at Tuticorin, will cater to the domestic and the export markets. “The availability of the port facility will help us to cater to the export markets,” Manjunath added.

“The Tuticorin facility would house their heat recovery steam generators up to 260MW and 660MW super-critical parameter-based units, where they have established themselves worldwide with their proven technology,” said Abhishek Puri, an analyst with ASK Securities.
AnsaldoCaldaie Boilers India Pvt. Ltd is a joint venture between AnsaldoCaldaie of Italy and GB Engineering of India. It has engineering offices in Chennai and Trichy and fabrication facilities in Trichy.

AnsaldoCaldaie specializes in the design, manufacture and supply of utility boilers, heat recovery steam generators, and biomass and waste to energy boilers.

India has a power generation capacity of 135,006MW, which is not sufficient for the second fastest growing major economy in the world.

Source: LiveMint.com

Trade bodies applaud PSA Sical for normalizing Tuticorin Container Terminal operations

Trade bodies at Tuticorin have hailed PSA Sical’s decision to serve the trade with full efficiency and reliability. Following this, operations at the Tuticorin Container Terminal (TCT) returned to normalcy.

PSA Sical had assured the shipping community that it would serve the ex-im trade with full efficiency and reliability.

In a joint press release, TCHAA, TSAA, ICCI and AICCI expressed their sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Dr M. Karunanidhi, and the Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Mr T. R. Baalu, for intervening in the issue and finding a suitable solution.

They also thanked Mr K. Suresh, Chairman in charge of Tuticorin Port Trust (TPT), for his timely action.

The trade bodies also urged the government to take up the issue of pending projects like the development of eighth berth, second container terminal, deepening of the port to 12.8 metres, mechanization of coal handling equipment, etc., without any further loss of time.

Since many upcoming projects like Neyveli Lignite Corporation’s thermal power plant, further expansion of the existing Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) project and titanium project are expected to add to the improved productivity of the port.

In this context, the infrastructure facilities like four-laning of Tuticorin-Tirunelveli road and Tuticorin-Madurai road, expansion of the existing runway at Tuticorin airport should be taken up expeditiously, the release said.

Besides, they also sought another Air Deccan service to Tuticorin in the late evening hours.