The much-delayed Rs 4,000-crore Vizhinjam Port project in Kerala hopes to submit the final environmental impact assessment report to the Centre by December.
Stating that the near-six month delay in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report will not affect the project any further, Vizhinjam International Seaport Chief Executive Suresh Babu told PTI that he hopes to invite bids for the EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contract in the first quarter of next year.
“We are hopeful of submitting the final EIA report to the Union Environment Ministry latest by December and hopes to float a global tender for EPC within the first quarter of next 2013,” Babu said.
The port was hoping to get the EIA report, being conducted by an L&T-Ramboll consortium and Asian Consulting Engineers, first by June-July and later it was put off to September.
Babu said the Kerala Hotels & Restaurants Association early this month had demanded that they be heard by the EIA team.
“In a way it is good that the association approached the EIA team for a public hearing before the final report was drafted. Otherwise, it would have been delayed further. We hope everything goes smoothly now,” Babu added.
Last month, the Kerala government had decided to cancel the bid from the Mumbai-based Welspun Infratech-led consortium sole operatorship of the port, citing the “too high” demand of Rs 480 crore up-front grant.
Though Welspun brought down their grant demand to Rs 399.5 crore later, it did not help.