THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:Procurement of one of the most basic construction materials - granite - for the construction of the Vizhinjam seaport is going to be a big challenge in the days ahead.
The state government, which will sign the concession agreement with the Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd for the Rs 7,525-crore port project on Monday, has announced that construction would begin on November 1 this year.
Adani Ports, on its part, has stated that the first phase can be commissioned within two years. Which means, a large volume of construction material would be required in a short span of time.
The state government had announced that the government would ensure uninterrupted supply of granite for the construction. A meeting convened by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had decided to prepare a list of quarries in Thiruvananthapuram district for providing the sufficient rock. Quarries on revenue land are to be handed over to Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd on lease.
A survey has been kicked off for identifying the quarries. “The mobilisation of construction material is the responsibility of the concessionaire. The district administration would vet the quarries which are listed for supplying the material,” a top Ports official said.
On the infrastructure front, the Railways has to clear the alignment for rail connectivity to the port. The Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), which studied the alignment has proposed a link from Nemom to the port site which the government has also approved. “The port need the rail connectivity only by the second phase, though,” A S Suresh Babu, CEO, Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd, said.
On the power supply front, the 220-KV line from the Kattakkada sub-station to the gas-insulated sub-station will be ready for commissioning by December 2016, Bhuvanendra Prasad T R, chief engineer (Transmission, South), Kerala State Electricity Board, said.