TIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The Adani Group is likely to get a bigger role to play in the procurement of construction rock for the Vizhinjam port project after the sharp fall in supply in Thiruvananthapuram district threatening to stall the project. With the scarcity of rock hitting the Rs 7,525 crore enterprise, the state government is now exploring the possibility of quarrying the required volume under the direct supervision of the Adani Group, the concessionaire for the project. Ports Minister Ramachandran Kadannapally informed the Assembly on Tuesday that the government is in the process of adopting measures in this direction. The government has also launched efforts to identify suitable quarries in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, he said.
The construction of the 3.1 km breakwater, one of the three chief components in Phase I, was disrupted months back due to problems in procuring rock from the quarries in Thiruvananthapuram district. This had prompted the Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd, the company formed by the Gujarat-based group for constructing the port, to explore the possibility of sourcing the raw material from quarries in Kollam and Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district. However, no decision in this regard has been finalised yet, throwing the entire project into uncertainty.
Recently, the Ports Minister had formally declared the project will overshoot the 1,000-day deadline announced by Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani. On Tuesday, the minister informed the Assembly the District Collectors of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam have been issued instructions regarding the new proposal for allowing the company itself to directly supervise the quarrying operations. It is estimated nearly 60 to 80 lakh tonnes of rock will be required to complete the breakwater which, essentially, is the first of its kind planned in the country. Earlier, quarry owners in Thiruvananthapuram had pointed out they will not be able to supply the entire quantum needed for the breakwater.