A review meeting on the ₹7,500-crore Vizhinjam port and container transshipment project, which was stalled due to a prolonged strike by local fishermen, has decided to make good the days lost and achieve completion as per the original deadline.
The meeting was held at the port site on Wednesday and presided over by Kerala Ports Minister Ahamed Devarkovil. Among those who attended it were K Biju, Secretary, Ports, Kerala; K Jayakumar, CEO of nodal agency Vizhinjam International Seaports Ltd; Rajesh Jha, CEO of concessionaire Adani Vizhinjam Ports Pvt Ltd (AVPPL); and Sushil Nair, Operations Manager, AVPPL.
First ship by September
In an updated timeline for the completion of the project ahead of the expected arrival of the first ship by September next year, the meeting decided to target completion of work on the 11/33 KV substations by January; the gate complex by March; the workshop complex by April; and the equipment vessel mail and reefer facility by August.
The monitoring committee, headed by an IAS officer, tasked with looking into issues involving the local population, will be directed to hold meetings more frequently. The strike spearheaded by the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram had impacted work on the breakwater the most, the meeting concluded.
Fresh impetus to work
The meeting decided to set up a new ‘load out point’ (LOP) at a cost of ₹60 crore. Expected to be completed by January 2023, it would help improve work on the breakwater, an official spokesperson said.
Currently 15,000 tonnes of stones are being laid for the breakwater project. This is expected to be increased to 30,000 tonnes from January. According to the spokesperson, 13 barges and six tugs are engaged at the breakwater site. Additional equipment will be deployed, as and when needed.
Alongside, dredging and reclamation work will also be resumed on a war-footing. Additional equipment needed would be made available without delay. Depending on the progress of work on the breakwater, parallel initiatives would be undertaken to complete the work on the berth for a length of 400 metres.