Terming the proposed Colachel port project in Tamilnadu as 'illogical,' Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated that the state would approach the Union government against it.
Giving permission to two major projects within a distance of just 30 kilometres is unscientific, Vijayan said in Kerala Assembly on Friday. He was referring to the proximity of the proposed Colachel port with the Vizhinjam Port project, which is coming up near Thiruvananthapuram.
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Kerala Chief Minister informed that the government had drawn attention of the Prime Minister to the unscientific nature in building two ports as close as 30 kilometres. Kerala will approach Prime Minister again this month to raise the issue. The Vizhinjam port project will be completed in a time-bound manner, he added.
The Vizhinjam port project, the biggest infrastructure project in Kerala in a public-private partnership with a capital cost of Rs. 6647 crore. Adani Ports is constructing the port, and the initial works have already started. Once the Vizhinjam port is operational, just ten nautical miles away from International Shipping Lane, it is expected to attract a major chunk of international transhipment cargo that is being handled by Colombo now.
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Colachel, very close to Vizhinjam, is also eyeing on the transhipment cargo from Colombo, which is likely to give a tough competition to the latter. Kerala is apprehensive that a major port at Colachel would overshadow Vizhinjam.
The Union Cabinet on 4 July had approved a proposal to build a major port at Enayam near Colachel with a capital investment of ₹ 25,000 crores.
