The Hindu Business Line : Road to Vallarpadam box terminal

The four-lane national highway connectivity is one of the pre-requisites for the setting up of the Rs 2,118-crore International Container Transhipment Terminal project of the Kochi Port at Vallarpadam.

With the Union Shipping Minister, Mr T. R. Baalu's announcement that the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) had given the environmental clearance for the national highway connectivity to Vallarpadam, the land acquisition for the road has gathered momentum. The four-lane NH connectivity is one of the pre-requisites to the setting up of the Rs 2,118-crore International Container Transhipment Terminal project of the Kochi Port at Vallarpadam.

Speaking at a function at the Cochin Shipyard last week, Mr Baalu said there were no more roadblocks to the project and with the MoEF clearance, the last red signal to the construction work had gone green.

Special team formed

The District Administration has initiated steps to complete the final stage of land acquisition of 65 hectares for the four-lane connectivity to Vallarpadam Island. Officials have hastened the acquisition proceedings by setting up a team from the Revenue Department under the Special Tahsildar for this purpose.

The total land required for acquisition is 90.95 hectares and it is estimated that Rs 55 crore would be needed to provide as compensation to families affected with the acquisition. The District Administration officials said the Port Trust had agreed to sanction in the first phase Rs 25 crore required to complete land acquisition and move utilities from the proposed road alignment.

The four-lane road from Vallarpadam Island to Kalamassery will be 17.2 km long. The road, constructed by the National Highway Authority of India, will start from the second bridge of the Goshree Island Development Authority (GIDA) and stretch across the Kochi suburbs of Bolghatty, Mulampilly, Kothad, FACT Gypsum Ground to reach Kalamassery.

Considering its importance, the highway has been made a fast-track project of the Kerala Government. The four-lane road is one of the basic requirements for the Vallarpadam Transhipment Terminal project.

The NHAI has finalised the Detailed Project Report and is expected to invite tenders shortly. The contract willbe awarded by October end. The work is scheduled to begin inDecember and completed within 30 months.

Rail link

The port officials are also hopeful that the State Government will hasten the land acquisition proceedings for the rail connectivity to the terminal site. The State Revenue Minister, Mr P. K. Rajendran, is convening a meeting here next week with the authorities concerned to discuss the delay in land acquisition for the rail project.

The Railway Connectivity Project is to be executed by Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd on behalf of Railway Board with the budgetary support of the Department of Shipping. Rs 50 crore has already been earmarked in the current Budget. RVNL has taken all the preparatory actions required for commissioning the project on schedule.

The Port Trust completed the first phase of capital dredging in February by achieving a 12.5 metre draft at the Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal. In the next phase, 14.5 metre of draft is to be provided by April 2009. A Bathymetric Survey has been completed and Radio Active Tracer studies are being carried out. The Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune, had started channel optimisation and consultation studies. Meanwhile, DP World had appointed Royal Haskoning as design and supervision consultants for the ICTT project for the pre-construction activities. As consultants to DP World and its joint venture partner, the Kochi Port Trust, Royal Haskoning will spend the next six months evaluating the site and designing the ICTT, after which a contractor will be appointed to begin construction on the first phase of the terminal.

The drawings and designs are expected to be completed before October and the construction of the Container Terminal to begin by January 2007 and to be completed by January 2009. Soil inspection, test piling and studies on shipping moorings have been completed of the site.

DP World to invest $200m

DP World will invest $200 million in the first phase of the project, which will have the capacity to handle one million TEUs.

The first phase of development involves works of building 600 metres of quay, an on-dock railhead serviced by rail mounted gantry cranes, 30 hectares of yard and the acquisition of six super post-Panamax cranes designed to handle some of the largest vessels afloat today. The total cost of the project is estimated at $500 million.

DP World officials pointed out that Vallarpadam would alleviate congestion and, importantly, open up the market by ensuring that shipping lines have a choice through the common user facilities of the company.

The project is destined to become a premier gateway to southern India whilst offering an alternative to Sri Lanka and Singapore for container transhipment.

Besides the ICTT project, the port has initiated ambitious developmental projects under the National Maritime Development Programme, which includes port-based Special Economic Zone (Rs 1,510 crore), LNG re-gasification project (Rs 2,050 crore), bunkering terminal (Rs 195 crore), ship repair facility (Rs 315 crore), SBM project (Rs 720 crore), and cruise terminal (Rs 55 crore).