A technical team from RITES, a public engineering agency, on Wednesday started the Standard Penetration Test (SPT) on land and at sea, assessing the soil properties and penetration resistance in 2,800 acres of land where it is proposed to develop the Machilipatnam deep sea port at Tapasipudi village in Krishna district.
The test is being carried out under the aegis of the Machilipatnam Urban Development Authority (MUDA).
Transport Minister Perni Nani, who accompanied the RITES technical team, said: “The SPT, commonly known as soil test, is being done in six locations in the proposed port area on the land front and three locations in the deep waters as a part of preparations for the port construction.”
“The agency has been entrusted with the task of preparing estimations and technical studies to begin construction activity of the port. The State government has set up a Special Purpose Vehicle to develop the port by 2022,” said Mr. Nani.
CCIL role
On the role of the Container Corporation of India Limited (CCIL) in the port project, Mr. Nani said: “The State government alone will develop the port through the SPV and the CCIL will be roped in the port operations.”
The State government, in principle, recently agreed to allow the CCIL to be part of developing the deep sea port as one of the prime stakeholders.
Earlier, the SPT and other key technical studies have been carried out by the previous developer, Navayuga group, at the same site for the port project. MUDA Vice-Chairman P. Wilson Babu and other officials were present.
