Kamarajar Port, which exports the highest number of cars from the country, is creating additional parking space for cars. It will spend ₹15 crore for the additional parking space, which will be ready by October, said R Senthil Kumar, General Manager, Kamarajar Port Ltd.

Kumar was responding to comments by Hidehiro Ishiura, Director, General, JETRO, Chennai, who said that Japanese car manufacturers have voiced their concern over lack of parking space at the port leading to congestion.

At a trade meeting organised by Kamarajar Port in association with the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kumar said the port can now park around 1,500 cars at a time. The need for additional space was mainly required in the last week of the month when the manufacturers try to export more volume in that period. The port management has decided to construct the additional space despite the fact that it will be used only in the last week and idle for the rest 25 days, he said.

Kamarajar port handled 2.15 lakh automobiles during 2014-15, which is the highest among all major ports. Some of the automobile manufacturers using the port are Nisan, Toyota, Ford, Honda, Daimler and Ashok Leyland.

S Anantharaman, Chief Operations Manager, Southern Railways, said the zonal railways supplies rakes to the ports of Chennai, Kamarajar, Mangalore, VO Chidambaranar in Tuticorin and Karaikal in Puducherry. Out of the 6,888 rakes provided to the ports last year, the Kamarajar port alone got 2,106 rakes, he said.

The Railways has created a huge rail infrastructure at Kamarajar port, and he urged the trade to use it to the maximum for cargo evacuation.

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