The Cochin Port Trust authorities have approached the state government against the stop memo issued by the Department of Revenue preventing the construction of a container freight station near International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) Vallarpadam.
The Department of Revenue hadissued the stop memo claiming that the proposed land was a wetland. The CFS, coming up in 7.59 hectares of land on the northern side of Vallarpadam island, is being developed by MIV Logistics, a joint venture company of state-owned Infrastructure Kerala Limited (INKEL), MFar and VKL Holdings.
The Cochin Port Trust authorities said they suspect a foul play by vested interests behind the stop memo. The land was allotted to MIV logistics on lease for 30 years in June 2011. In the previous correspondence between the Port Trust and Revenue Department, it was clearly mentioned that the area is a ‘reclaimed land’. The Union Government had issued environmental clearance for the CFS or logistics parks,” said the port authorities. According to them, the land was reclaimed in 1980s. “The the land does not in any way come under the category of wetland. It is located 6.39 feet above the water during low tide,” sources said.
Aimed at developing Vallarpadam into a major logistics hub, the Cochin Port Trust has earmarked 54 acres of land near the ICTT for developing the CFSs with private participation.
The CFS facility near ICTT is considered to be a great support to the traders as they can meet all their shipping requirements under a roof, that too near the ICTT. The CFS are also expected to generate a lot of employment opportunities.
The CFS developed by the Gateway Distriparks (Kerala) (GDKL), the joint venture company floated by Gateway Distriparks and Chakiat Group, has already started functioning at Vallarpadam two months back. This CFS, has warehousing facility of approximately 25,000 sq ft and storage facilities for around 1,000 TEUs and a customs station.