THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Indications are that the independent engineer for the Vizhinjam port project also may not be totally amenable to the Adani Group’s request for an extension of the deadline for phase I.
The independent engineer is expected to submit its final report in a few days. Sources said the body is likely to recommend Adani Group to bring in additional dredgers to complete the phase I of the project on time.Last week, Ports Minister Ramachandran Kadannapally told the Assembly the government will not tolerate any delay in the project. If the Adani Group overshoots the deadline, the government will penalise the group, he had said.
The Rs 7,525 crore project had hit a bad patch towards the end of last year leaving two of three major works in phase I — breakwater construction and channel dredging — lagging well behind schedule. The issue had also triggered an Opposition walk-out in the Assembly with the UDF accusing the LDF government of ignoring the project.On March 20, the Adani Vizhinjam Port Pvt Ltd (AVPPL) had written to the state government saying the project will not be completed within the 1,460-day deadline.
According to the company, its two dredgers were damaged during cyclone Ockhi in November 2017 and they have not been repaired yet.Also, an acute shortage of granite has badly hit the construction of the 3.1 km breakwater. The company’s arguments are currently being assessed by the independent engineer.According to sources in the Adani Group, dredging can be resumed on a full-fledged basis only by September-October when the southwest monsoon has subsided.As per the concession agreement signed between the Kerala government and the Adani Group in 2015, phase I should be completed by December 4, 2019.
Rs 7,525 crore
The cost of the project, which had hit a bad patch at the end of 2017, leaving two of three major works lagging behind schedule
04.12.2019
The date by which phase I should be completed as per the deal signed between Adani Group and the Kerala government in 2015