Mony K. Mathew

To prepare project reports for Azhikkal, Beypore

Thiruvananthapuram June 6 The Kerala Government is on the look-out for consultants to prepare detailed project reports for the development of Azhikkal and Beypore ports.

The development of the ports has been pending for more than a decade and the Government has now decided to take up the work through public-private partnership.

Changes needed

In the case of Azhikkal port, near Kannur, ICICI-Kinfra had prepared a detailed project report in association with Howe India Pvt Ltd. But, the Government feels that certain changes have to be made in the technical proposal to make it more conducive to the public-private partnership model.

More importantly, the Centre has included Azhikkal port in its National Maritime Development Programme (NMDP) for developing coastal shipping. This calls for suitable changes in the project profile so as to integrate the port with the NMDP stream.

Consultant role

The service of the consultant is sought for reviewing and updating the detailed project report prepared by ICICI-Kinfra in the light of the fresh requirements. The port is proposed to be developed to the maximum possible capacity in phases and on modular basis.

Beypore is the second biggest port in Kerala after Kochi in terms of the volume of cargo handled. It is estimated that the port handles around one lakh tonnes of cargo annually.

Hinterland

The hinterland of the port consists of Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Kannur and Palakkad districts in Kerala as also cities like Mysore, Bangalore and Coimbatore in the neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Timber and finished wood products, roofing tile, rubber, tea, coffee, cashew nuts, pig iron and marine products are the main items being exported from the port, while the imports include petroleum products, fertilisers and cement.

The proposal is to develop Beypore as an all-weather port through public-private partnership.

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