The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Concern over losing control of Kochi port

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 16, 2004

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Concern over losing control of Kochi port

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, APRIL 15. The move to hand over the control of Kochi port to the Dubai Port International on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis worried him a little and the move called for an in-depth analysis, said the LDF-backed Independent candidate, Sebastian Paul, contesting from the Ernakulam constituency in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

He said that the future of the Kochi port was uppermost in his mind as he entered the fray for the Lok Sabha elections and that he would use his good office, if elected, to ensure that the port had a bright future.

He was speaking at a meet-the-candidate programme organised by the Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Thursday.

At the well-attended programme organised at the A. S. Bava Memorial Hall of the Chamber in the evening, discussions centred around the projects lined up for Kochi that have the potential to turn the city into one of India's major business hubs as well as the problems that overwhelm it.

Mr. Paul said that Dubai was virtually a colony of the U.S. and that the prospects for Kochi port should be analysed in this light. "Dubai is set to become the 51st State of the American union," said Mr. Paul to emphasize his point.At the same time, he expressed an MP's helpless on some of the issues that weighed down Kochi. He was quick to assure the gathering that he would be ever willing to draw the attention of the authorities to these problems.

One of the problems, he said, was the acute scarcity of drinking water in the city and its suburbs. He raised questions as to why the much-touted HUDCO drinking water project was still not complete. He recalled how seven years ago there was a promise by the Government that the project would be completed in a short span of time.

The UDF candidate, Edward Edezhath, said he had a five-point agenda for Kochi. Developing infrastructure was the foremost, he said.

He also called for putting in place facilities for settling labour disputes quickly and efficiently so that new enterprises were not nipped in the bud. He said that human resource development should be an area where the city excelled. For instance, he called for quality control on the teaching of English.

Continuous training for working personnel was another point he put forward as capable of helping both industrial and economic growth.

Effective utilisation of the tourism potential of Kochi and its surroundings requires immediate attention, he said. He recalled how places like Singapore had used its resources to turn itself into a world-class destination. He also called for recognition of tourism as an industry.

In the midst of these pursuits, he said, the community and social realities should never be relegated.

Voluntary and self-help groups have the potential to increase the rate of economic growth, he added.

The BJP candidate, O. G. Thankappan, said that the NDA Government at the Centre had helped India shine and that the rate of growth had accelerated. India had reached a position in which it had become a lender from a position of being a debtor. He also touched upon the various projects lined up for Kochi such as the International Container Transshipment Terminal, Vallarpadam and the proposed LNG terminal on the Puthuvype Island and said that he would seek the help of the Central leadership to see that projects took off the ground.

The president of the Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry, V. M. Liaqat Ali, presided over the meet-the-candidate programme.

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