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Vallarpadam issue to be taken up with Environment Ministry

Staff Reporter

State asked to look into rail-link problem

— Photo: H. Vibhu

INSTILLING CONFIDENCE: Union Minister for Shipping T. R. Baalu (right) meeting presspersons at the Cochin Port Trust office on Sunday. Port Trust Chairman N. Ramachandran looks on.

KOCHI: Union Minister for Shipping T.R. Baalu said here on Sunday that the issue of obtaining clearance for a National Highway link to the proposed International Container Transhipment Terminal site on Vallarpadam Island would be taken up with the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Mr. Baalu was addressing a press conference after announcing that that Kochi port had achieved a 12.5-metre draft for its main shipping channel. He said that the Environment Ministry had suggested an elevated corridor for the proposed highway link. He promised that environmental clearance for the project would be obtained.

The four-lane road link would be 17.2-km long, connecting the island to National Highway no. 47 somewhere near Kalamassery. The road project was estimated at Rs. 374 crores. The Minister said establishing a rail link for the transhipment project site faced some problem, and the State Government had been asked to look into it.

The Minister said Kochi had joined the club of deep draft ports in the country and that the first stage of dredging had been completed ahead of schedule. Achieving 12.5-metre draft was part of an agreement between the Cochin Port Trust and the Dubai Ports, which now operated the Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal of the trust. With the achievement of a deeper draft, the port would be able to service mainline vessels.

Mr. Baalu said that the first stage of dredging had been completed at Rs. 24.7 crores, although the estimate was Rs. 33 crores. By April 1, 2009, the channel had to be widened to 280 metres and deepened to 14.5 metres as per the articles of agreement with the Dubai Ports.

Cruise terminal

The Minister said the port would have a tourist jetty and a report for the purpose would be prepared soon. The Minister had given the green signal to the trust for going ahead with its cruise terminal project.

Mr. Baalu said that the Union Government gave utmost importance to infrastructure development and that it was determined to follow vigorously the National Maritime Development Policy (NMDP) that envisaged about Rs. 1-lakh crore investment in the port and shipping sectors by 2011-12.

The Minister said Rs. 60,000 crore would go into bettering ports facilities, while about Rs. 40,000 crores would be used in the shipping sector. He expected a substantial private sector participation in ports and shipping development.

A total of 276 projects had been identified under the NMDP. Of this, 11 would be in the shipping sector.

The Government had identified 14 projects for Kochi under the NMDP and a total investment of Rs. 7,920 crores was expected.

Mr. Baalu said that the reconstruction of the Mattancherry wharf would be taken up soon and that a consultant from IIT, Chennai, was engaged in assessing the requirements.

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