Kerala to Become an Important Centre on the World Maritime Map: CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said with the commissioning of Vizhinjam International Port by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 2, Kerala will become an important centre on the world maritime map.

At a press conference here, the chief minister said it is not just the beginning of a new port, it is the heralding of a new era, which would give Indian trade and logistics a crucial place globally. The mega project is poised to blow a new wind of economic progress from the southern tip of the subcontinent, he said and added that Vizhinjam is the symbol of the will power and foresight of the LDF Government.

The chief minister who visited the port the other day to review the preparations for the commissioning, said it is the first dedicated transhipment port and the first semi-automated in the country.

At present, Colombo port handles 75 per cent of Indian container movement, which has resulted in large-scale foreign exchange losses and revenue losses for the country. Once Vizhinjam is ready a large part of Indian transhipment cargo which is currently handled by the Colombo port, will reach here.

Row over exclusion of opposition leader from PM function

Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheeshan, said he was invited to the commissioning of the Vizhinjam port only after his exclusion triggered a huge controversy.

With the government facing questions for not inviting the opposition leader, Ports Minister V N Vasavan sent an invitation letter on his official letterhead. "The letter did not mention why I was being invited or whether I was just an invitee or a participant in the programme," he said.

The opposition leader also slammed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for taking credit for the project. "When Congress-led UDF was in power, Pinarayi Vijayan termed the project a Rs 6000 crore real estate deal and a huge loot.

Now the same port has become a reality and he is taking full credit," he said.

The project was launched by the Oommen Chandy government in 2015 and was scheduled to be completed by 2019. However, it took six more years for commissioning. There is still no road or rail connectivity to the port, he said.