Latest news with #KudankulamNuclearPowerProject
The Hindu
26-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
PM Modi inaugurates projects worth ₹4,900 crore in Tamil Nadu
Along with the new terminal of Thoothukudi airport and the extended runway, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (July 26, 2025) launched a few more completed projects on an outlay of ₹4,900 crore in various parts of Tamil Nadu. Since the Airports Authority of India wants to increase the number of passengers using Thoothukudi Airport to 20 lakh per annum in the next five to ten years and to increase Thoothukudi's air connectivity manifold by introducing flights to various parts of the country and abroad, the 17,340 square meter new terminal in Chettinad- style architecture has been created. The 1,350-meter-long runway has been extended to 3,115 meters with a night landing facility for handling wide-bodied aircraft, like A320s and A321s. Moreover, to ensure the hassle-free handling of the passengers, 21 check-in counters, 7 baggage scanners, 3 aerobridges, 644 seats, a feeding room for mothers, isolation areas, 5 aircraft parking bays, fully equipped fire station have been completed. After the expansion, the Thoothukudi airport can handle up to 1,400 passengers per hour, which stood at just 156 earlier, officials said. Another important project inaugurated by Mr. Modi on Saturday (July 26, 2025) was the 306-meter-long north cargo berthing facility with 14.20 metre draft at the cost of ₹285 crores at the VOC Port, Thoothukudi, which can handle larger vessels carrying coal, copper concentrate, limestone, gypsum and rock phosphate. This new berth is likely to create 300 direct employment and 500 indirect jobs. As of now, the all-weather VOC Port handles containers, coal, limestone, windmill turbine blades, fertilizer, edible oil, construction materials, timber, machinery, etc. The 4-lane Sethiyathoppu – Chozhapuram 50 km stretch has been completed at the cost of ₹2,357 crore, and the 4-lane road connecting the VOC Port, Thoothukudi, has been upgraded into a 6-lane at the cost of ₹200 crores to ensure the hassle-free movement of heavy trucks carrying containers, logs and bulk cargo like coal and fertilizers. The double railway track in Nagercoil Town – Nagercoil Junction – Kanniyakumari, Aralvaimozhi – Nagercoil Junction and Tirunelveli – Melapalayam sections were also dedicated to the nation on the occasion. The much-awaited Madurai – Bodi railway track electrification, which was taken up after this section was converted into broad gauge after decades of waiting, was also dedicated to the nation. All these rail projects have been completed on an outlay of ₹1,032 crores. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for the ₹548 crore interstate transmission system to evacuate the 2,000 MW power to be generated by VVER reactors 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, being built with Russian assistance.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Karur court acquits activist R.S. Mugilan from sedition case
The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court at Karur on Friday acquitted R.S. Mugilan, a social activist, in a sedition case. According to sources, the Aravakurichi police registered a case against him under Sections 124 (A) (attempts to incite disaffection and hatred towards the government by words, signs or other means), 153 (1)(b) (act which is prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities) and 505 (1)(b) (statements that cause fear and alarm to the public) of the Indian Penal Code based on his speech at the birth anniversaries of Ambedkar and Bharathidasan at Seethampatti on April 23, 2017. He was said to have spoken against illegal sand mining, Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project and other issues. Chief Judicial Magistrate N.S. Jayaprakash, who heard the case, acquitted Mugilan from all charges.
