CHENNAI: EMRIP scheme likely to be revived

By G Saravanan
Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on November 28, 2010:


CHENNAI: After several failed attempts to revive the Ennore-Manali Road Improvement Project (EMRIP) scheme since he took over the high-profile ministry, Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan has finally succeeded in reviving it.


According to sources, the latest tender called for by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for completing the Rs 600 crore project has received good response from among the top contractors of the country.


While 13 bidders have shown their interest in completing the project, after thorough scrutiny when bids were opened two days ago, eight applications were found eligible for further technical evaluation.
Though the finalisation of technical evaluation for these high-value bids would take a minimum of three months, Vasan reportedly asked the officials to complete the evaluation process within one month to enable the project-implementing agency to award work order to the successful contractor by January first week.


According to sources, Vasan has taken the project as a personal challenge and was monitoring the project’s revival at every stage.


EMRIP, announced by the State Government in 1998, covers four major roads in the industrial hub of north Chennai - Tiruvottiyur-Ponneri-Panchetti (TPP) sector, Ennore Expressway, Manali Oil Refinery Road and northern portion of the Inner Ring Road from Madhavaram to Manali.
A special purpose vehicle comprising National Highways Authority of India, Chennai Port Trust, Ennore Port Ltd and the Tamil Nadu Government was constituted in 2003 for project execution.
When the project was conceptualised, it cost Rs 150 crores, but in 2003, it had escalated to over Rs 329 crores and deadline was 2007. But, the 2007-deadline was also missed and the cost of the project further escalated to around Rs 600 crores.
It may be noted that the NHAI had cancelled the bidding process for the EMRIP project in August last stating that some of the stakeholders had failed to bring in their contribution.
If present processes go as planned, Vasan could be laying the foundation stone for the important port connectivity project well before Pongal next year.