Connectivity problems dog Vallarpadam project

The commissioning of the International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam near Kochi, the largest port infrastructure project in South India, may be delayed further.

DP World, the builder and operator of the terminal, had set a target of November this year to commission the project’s first phase. Although the construction work is going on ahead of schedule, the Dubai-based operator of largest marine terminal is concerned over the slow pace of construction of the rail and road connections to the terminal.

“We are ready to commission the terminal on time, but our serious concern is about the connectivity to the terminal site. It will not be practical to commence operations without getting rail-road connectivity ready. We plan to have dialogue with the port authorities,” said a senior officer of DP World, Cochin.

He said that in the beginning 60 per cent of the traffic would be by road. But when the terminal is fully operational, traffic by road will come down to 50 per cent, with 25 per cent coming through rail and the remaining through sea.

However, the construction of the road is unlikely to end by November. The ongoing electioneering is likely to affect work for the next three months, the officer said, adding that even the land acquisition issues had not been settled fully at various locations, with public protests being witnessed in some areas.

Though the state government has offered to make temporary arrangements for the passage of container traffic through NH 47, that is being objected to by many on the grounds that the move would clog one of the state’s main highways.

The officer said the piling work on the project would be completed by May this year, while 50 per cent of the construction work of the wharfs had already been completed. “We will approach the port and take a decision on the commissioning after considering their views on the connectivity issue. There is no point in starting operations without proper connectivity. It will send out a negative impression to the sea line operators across the world,” he added.

The ICTT facility is located on 115 hectares of unencumbered land, which is proposed to be developed in three phases.

The first phase of the project, for which construction began in December 2007, is designed to handle over 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

The terminal, which is designed to accept and service the largest container ships afloat today, will have two rail- handling sidings capable of servicing 12 trains per day.