Canal to be opened for traffic in Nov 2008

The Rs 2427 crore Sethusamudram Ship Canal would be opened to traffic in November 2008.

Announcing the schedule for the project, the Sethusamudram Corporation said in a press release that pre-qualification and tender process for dredging would be completed next month and contracts would be awarded in September.

The corporation had already awarded the contract of dredging for a length of 13.57 KM in the Palk Strait area to the state-owned Dredging Corporation of India on nomination basis.

The corporation had floated global tenders for the remaining three legs spanning 35 Kms in Adam's Bridge area and 40.68 km area in Palk Straits region and tender process of this major portion of dredging would be completed on August 31 and work was scheduled to begin in November, the release said.

Trial and test runs would commence in September 2008, it said.

Dredging was not required in 78 Kms in Palk Bay area for the 167 Km length canal.

Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu would monitor the project to ensure that physical and financial targets were met and a separate mechanism was being set up in the Shipping Ministry to closely monitor the implementation of the project as per the schedule, the release said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had laid the foundation of the ambitious project on July 2.