Adani lines up Rs 30K cr investment in Kerala for port, airport expansion

Gadkari assures Rs 3 trillion worth of road projects in state during current tenure of central government

Adani Group is planning to invest around ₹30,000 crore in Kerala over the next five years to develop its infrastructure, including expansion of a port and an airport and setting up a logistics and e-commerce hub in Kochi, a senior company executive said on Friday.

 

Addressing a session of Invest Kerala Global Summit, Karan Adani, managing director, Adani Ports and SEZ, said the group will invest ₹20,000 crore more in Vizhinjam Port in addition to the already invested ₹5,000 crore.

 

"This is not only India’s first transshipment hub, but our vision is to make Vizhinjam the largest transshipment port in this part of the region. We will be expanding Trivandrum International Airport from 4.5 million to 12 million passengers, with ₹5,500 crore," he said. The company will be setting up a logistics and e-commerce hub in Kochi, and also increase its cement capacity in Kochi.

 

"In total, Adani Group is going to invest ₹30,000 crore in the next five years in the state of Kerala," Adani said. The announcement came on a day when Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari said the Centre will complete road projects worth around ₹3 trillion during its current tenure.

 

During his address, Gadkari highlighted that his ministry had 31 upcoming projects spanning 896 kilometres with an investment of about ₹50,000 crore. In the private sector, one of the major investments included a ₹1,500 crore plan lined up by Brigade Group with potential employment for around 12,000 people over the next five years. Brigade Enterprises, the flagship company of Brigade Group, has submitted an expression of interest (EOI) for setting up its second World Trade Center (WTC) in the state, with the first being WTC Kochi. Brigade is also looking to expand its footprint in Kerala with a residential project in Kochi and a luxury island resort at Vaikom. These projects are expected to be completed by 2030.

 

Aster DM Healthcare said it plans to invest around ₹850 crore in the next three years towards scaling up its infrastructure, medical services, and employment generation in the region. 

 

Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the Left Front government had ensured that no investor will have to face the barriers of red tape in Kerala. "We have made major strides in simplifying procedures for investments. The government considers itself to have a great role to play as a facilitator and catalyst,” he said.

 

“In the last eight years, Kerala has witnessed the establishment of 6,200 startups with an investment of ₹5,800 crore, creating 62,000 employment opportunities. We aim to establish 15,000 startups and create 100,000 employment opportunities by 2026," he said.

 

In the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ index, Kerala is ranked first among Indian states, and the ‘Year of Enterprises’ initiative has been recognised as a best practice at the national level, Vijayan noted. "Kerala has a strong infrastructure base including road, air, maritime, and digital connectivity, uninterrupted power, and clean energy. The state offers the best human resources required for industries driven by futuristic technology. It is for the investors to leverage these advantages in an ecosystem marked by the best Ease of Doing Business environment," he said. 

UPCOMING PLANS

 

> Adani group has already invested ₹5,000 crore in Vizhinjam Port, and further committed ₹20,000 crore

 

> Brigade Enterprises has submitted an EoI for setting up its second World Trade Centre in the state 

 

> Aster DM Healthcare plans to invest ₹850 crore in the next three years towards scaling up its infrastructure in the region