The
Kerala government accelerated the process for establishing a greenfield port
project in the northern district of Kannur, aiming at boosting industrial and
economic development in the Malabar region of the state through the port and
associated industrial parks and special economic zones.
The state cabinet, chaired by
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, sanctioned a draft project report submitted by
Malabar International Port and SEZ Limited (MIPSL), a company established for
the development of the Kannur Azhikkal International Greenfield Port.
As
part of this, the government said that a financial structure report, prepared
and submitted by the Centre for Management Development (CMD), would be
accepted, and necessary action would be taken accordingly.
The
main project under the state government’s ports department is the development
of the Kannur Azhikkal International Greenfield Port and its associated
industrial park and special economic zones. To facilitate this, MIPSL was
formed as a special company, with the chief minister serving as its chairman. The port development aims to accommodate
Panamax-sized container ships with a capacity of 5,000 TEU or 8,000-75,000 DWT,
at a depth of 14.1 metres
.
In a statement, the chief minister’s office said the Expression of Interest
(EOI) will include a provision for the concessionaire to share a portion of the
income with the government from the project’s inception.