TIRUPPUR, Feb 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated a slew of projects, including the passenger services on the last stretch of the underground Chennai Metro stretch between AG-DMS and Washermenpet, marking the completion of the Phase-1 of the project.
Mr Modi inaugurated the stretch through video-conferencing from Tiruppur where he also laid the foundation stone for the Rs 2,467 crore modernisation of Chennai International Airport Phase-II and for new Integrated Terminal Building of Tiruchirapalli International airport to be constructed at a cost of Rs 951.28 crore.
He also dedicated to the Nation BPCL Ennore Coastal Installation and the New Crude Oil pipeline from Chennai Port to CPCL Manali Refinery in the presence of Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minister K Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Union Ministers.
Mr Modi also inaugurated the ESI Hosptial with 100-bedded facility at Tiruppur and ESI Medical College and Hospital with 470-bed facility at KK Nagar in Chennai.
Later, the Prime Minster addressed an election meeting, the second after the one on January 27 at Madurai, where he kicked off the BJP’s campaign for the ensuing Lok Sabha Poll.
The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) officials completed the trial run of empty trains after Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS)?Bengaluru circle K A Manoharan, had on January 19, undertook safety inspection of the final line of CMRL Phase-I project connecting AG-DMS and Washermanpet stations.
He had inspected various facilities at all the eight stations on the 9.5 km stretch that included AG-DMS, Thousand Lights, LIC, Government Estate, Chennai Central, High Court, Mannadi and Washermenpet.
After the two-day safety inspection, trial runs on the track commenced and it was inaugurated today for passenger services.
The inauguration of this final stretch also marked the completion of the Phase-I of the Chennai Metro project implemented at a cost of Rs 19,058 crore.
This phase covered a total area of 45 kms with 32 stations–of which 19 were underground and 13 on the elevated corridor, with Platform steel doors for passenger safety.
The 45-km Phase-I stretch was inaugurated in a phased manner.
The first one between Koyambedu to Alandur was opened in June 2015, followed by the stretch between Little Mount and Chennai Airport and the Alandur to St Thomas Mount in September 2016.
The stretch between Koyambedu to Nehru Park was inaugurated in May 2017, the Nehru Park to Chennai Central and Little Mount to AG-DMS line was thrown open to public in May 2018.
As part of augmenting the aviation infrastructure in the State,
Mr Modi also laid the foundation stone for the modernisation of Chennai International Airport Phase-II, which would have a terminal area of 1,97,000 sqm, with a capacity to handle 6,900 passengers during peak hours, besides 140 check-in counters and a multi-level car parking to accommodate 2,000 cars.
The New Integrated Terminal building of Tiruchirapalli International Airport would have a terminal area of 75,000 sqm, with a capacity to handle 2,900 passengers during peak hours, besides 48 check-in counters and parking to accommodate 1,000 cars.
The BPCL-Ennore Coastal Installation included the state-of-the-art fully automated oil storage and distribution facilities, catering to them requirement of Chennai and adjoining six districts. The Project cost was Rs 393 crore and it would have a storage capacity of 117 TKL.
The Chennai Port-CPCL Manali Refinery pipeline was laid as per international standards and codes, ensuring safe and reliable supply of crude, catering to the energy needs of Tamil Nadu and neigbouring States. (PTI)
It also has high accuracy lead detection system for enhanced safety. (UNI)
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