Tamil Nadu, July 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated a package of infrastructure projects worth ₹4,900 crore in Tamil Nadu, aimed at boosting the state’s connectivity and industrial capacity through new airport, port, road, rail, and power developments.
The centrepiece of the launch was a new terminal at Thoothukudi Airport, designed in traditional Chettinad-style architecture. Spread across 17,340 square meters, the terminal is equipped to handle 1,400 passengers per hour, a sharp increase from the previous capacity of 156. The upgraded runway has been extended from 1,350 to 3,115 meters, now enabling operations of wide-bodied aircraft such as A320s and A321s and night landings.
“The Airports Authority of India plans to scale up annual passenger traffic at Thoothukudi to 20 lakh over the next 5 to 10 years,” officials said. The new terminal includes 21 check-in counters, 7 baggage scanners, 3 aerobridges, and enhanced passenger amenities, including a feeding room and a fire station.
In the maritime sector, Modi also inaugurated a 306-meter-long North Cargo Berthing Facility at the VOC Port, constructed at a cost of ₹285 crore. With a 14.2-metre draft, the berth is capable of handling large bulk cargo vessels carrying coal, copper concentrate, limestone, gypsum, and rock phosphate. Officials estimate the project will generate 300 direct and 500 indirect jobs.
VOC Port, an all-weather facility, currently handles a wide variety of cargo including containers, fertilizer, edible oil, windmill turbine blades, and machinery.
On the road front, the Prime Minister unveiled the 4-lane Sethiyathoppu–Chozhapuram stretch (50 km) constructed at ₹2,357 crore, and the upgradation of a key VOC Port access road from 4-lane to 6-lane at ₹200 crore, aimed at improving the flow of heavy vehicles carrying cargo such as timber, coal, and fertilizers.
The government also commissioned multiple railway projects worth ₹1,032 crore, including double tracking on sections connecting Nagercoil, Kanniyakumari, and Tirunelveli, and the electrification of the Madurai–Bodi section, which was recently converted to broad gauge after decades of delay.
In the power sector, Modi laid the foundation stone for a ₹548 crore interstate transmission project to evacuate 2,000 MW of electricity from reactors 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, developed with Russian collaboration.
The flurry of inaugurations comes as part of the government’s broader push to strengthen infrastructure in southern India and promote economic development through multimodal connectivity.
