THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Valiyathura pier and surrounding port land are set to be developed into a coastal tourism spot under a new plan being drawn up by the Kerala Maritime Board (KMB). The proposal aims to repurpose the unused port premises.
Covering around 2.04 acres, the site includes the 214-metre-long Valiyathura pier with a 29-metre T-head, four warehouses, a two-storey port office building and a three-storey residential quarters block.
Located close to the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport and Vizhinjam port, the area is seen as ideal for tourism and maritime recreation projects. KMB intends to attract private participation for projects while retaining ownership of the land.
The plan is part of efforts to give new life to the site, which has remained unused since the old Port Department headquarters and adjoining buildings were damaged by Cyclone Ockhi and years of sea exposure.
The land falls under different coastal regulation zones, and future development will have to comply with CRZ norms and environmental clearances.
For this, KMB has invited Expressions of Interest (EoI) from private investors to develop the site. Interested parties have been asked to submit their proposals by November 10. According to the EoI, private entrepreneurs can propose projects either for individual buildings or for the entire area.
The KMB will evaluate the proposals and prepare a detailed plan before proceeding to the tender stage. The KMB specifies that the land ownership will remain with the government, and private entities will be granted usage or lease rights under a concession period of up to 30 years, extendable with state approval.
The private partner will be responsible for securing regulatory and environmental clearances and ensuring project execution in compliance with CRZ norms. Following an assessment that rebuilding the office at the same coastal site was impractical, the department now functions from a rented building at Sasthamangalam. Parallelly, the KMB is completing procedures for constructing a new headquarters at Kamaleswaram on land provided by the Harbour Engineering Department.
