MADURAI: Sahitya Akademi Award winner Joe D’Cruz on Wednesday appeared to be out of sync with the BJP, the party he supported during the last Lok Sabha polls, over the proposed Maritime Container Terminal at Enayam. Addressing a seminar on the Economic Analysis of the proposed port at Enayam near Colachel, held at Fatima College here, D’Cruz, who is also an economic analyst and a shipping consultant, said the promoters of the project were claiming that the Enayam coastline was a natural harbour. In reality, the coast is vulnerable to natural calamities, he said, adding that marine ecology would be destroyed if the project was implemented.
“The transshipment terminal, which is proposed to operate on reclaimed land, would face the problem of shortage of space and be a threat to volume-based terminal activity operation,” said D’Cruz. Regarding the reduction of marine charges to attract mother vessel operators, D’Cruz said that Colombo, Singapore and Dubai have depreciated their capital investments and would reduce their rates to increase the number of their customers. D’Cruz stressed that Enayam is highly prone to sea turbulence, including tsunamis, and that due to strong and continuous south-west water currents, artificial breakwaters should be constructed at Enayam where the sea is always ferocious.
“While the promoters propose to construct berths, the available draft will be only 18 metres at Enayam. When the requirements of the draft change during future expansions, the deepening would not be feasible as the Enayam seabed has a rock bottom,” he claimed and suggested that the ports in Chennai, Thoothukudi and Ennore be developed.