Infrastructure work on proposed Kerala port launched

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Monday evening inaugurated the work for a connecting road to the proposed Rs.60-billion Vizhinjam port site.

This signals the start of the first phase of the Vizhinjam International Container Terminal.

The state government has committed to develop the basic infrastructure, which includes rail and road connectivity to the port site, and has set aside Rs.450 crore for the purpose.

The port is to come up near the tourist destination of Kovalam. The site has a natural depth at 24 meters, one of the deepest in the world, and would require no dredging.

It will be located close to a busy international shipping route and is envisaged to handle 4.1 million containers annually.

The project, however, has been in limbo for well over a decade due to various reasons.

The port got the necessary clearances last year but Hyderabad-based Lanco Kondapalli, which had won the bid to build the port, withdrew from the project citing indefinite delays and possible legal tangles in the project.

According to the schedule brought out by the state’s Left Front government, the proposal seeking for expression of interest has been made and by November-December, the investor would be identified.

The land required to be acquired for the project is placed under the fast track programme, new power lines are being drawn, railway track to the port has been cleared by the Southern Railway and the Water Authority is working on new pipe lines to be laid to bring drinking water to the project area.