KOCHI: On his second visit to the state this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will push the development agenda, inaugurating three major infrastructure projects in Kochi on Wednesday.
The Rs 4,000-crore projects include a new dry dock and a international ship repair facility at the Cochin Shipyard (CSL) and the LPG Import Terminal of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) at Puthuvype in Kochi, which is expected to spur job creation.
If Modi’s visit on January 3 was focused on politics as he addressed a rally of women party workers in Thrissur, his visit this time is clearly aimed to send the message of development under his leadership and end BJP’s Kerala jinx. Modi, who will arrive in Kochi on Tuesday evening, will also hold a massive roadshow.
The CSL’s new dry dock, which the PM will dedicate to the nation, was built at a cost of about Rs 1,800 crore. It is a one-of-a-kind 310-metre-long stepped dry dock, with a width of 75m, depth of 13m and a draught of up to 9.5metres. One of the largest marine infrastructures in the country, the project features heavy ground loading, which will position India with advanced capabilities to handle strategic assets like future aircraft carriers up to 70,000 tonne displacement and large commercial vessels. This is set to eliminate India’s dependency on foreign nations for emergency national requirements.
The international ship repair facility (ISRF) at Willingdon Island — built at a cost of Rs 970 crore — has a ship lift system with a capacity of 6,000 tonne, a transfer system, six work stations and a berth of approximately 1,400m which can accommodate seven vessels of 130m length simultaneously.
The ISRF will modernize and expand the existing ship repair capabilities of CSL and will be a step towards transforming Kochi as a global ship repair hub. The project is expected to augment the ship repair capacity of the nation and establish India as a major ship repair centre.
The IOCL’s LPG Import Terminal at Puthuvype, built at a cost of about Rs 1,236 crore, boasts of state-of-the-art facilities. With a 15,400-tonne storage capacity, the terminal will ensure a steady supply of LPG for millions of households and businesses in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It includes a Multi-User Liquid Terminal Jetty and a 3.5 km Cross Country Pipeline which can achieve the capacity of 1.2 million metric tonnes per annum.