THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport on Friday here in the presence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, whose presence at the inauguration, Modi said, will give "sleepless nights" to many.
Modi also referred to Vijayan as a "pillar" of the opposition INDIA bloc.
The Prime Minister told Vijayan and Tharoor, who were on the dais, that their presence at the inauguration event would give "sleepless nights" to many. However, the person translating his speech did not translate it properly, and it prompted the PM to say, "the message has gone across to whom it was meant".
The remarks come amid growing speculation about Mr. Tharoor's position within the Congress party, particularly in Kerala, where he has increasingly emphasized his individual stature, setting himself apart from the state's party leadership.
Tharoor's choice to personally receive Prime Minister Modi at Thiruvananthapuram airport, despite facing flight delays which he attributed to the "dysfunctional" state of Delhi's airport, caught considerable attention. A photo of Mr. Tharoor greeting the Prime Minister quickly went viral on social media. "Despite delays at the dysfunctional Delhi airport, I managed to land in Thiruvananthapuram in time to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival in my constituency," Mr. Tharoor posted on X.
Modi in his speech also expressed his happiness that Kerala's Port Minister, VN Vasavan, supported public-private partnership in development during his welcome address, he added that this shows the changes taking place in the nation.
Giving details of the development in the country, Modi said that India was among the top three nations globally on the number of seafarers and in the last 10 years, the capacity of our ports has doubled, their efficiency improved and the turnaround time there decreased by 30 per cent.
Modi further said that the seaport has been constructed for Rs 8,800 crore, and its transshipment hub capacity is set to triple in the near future.
"It is designed to accommodate large cargo ships, addressing a critical need. Until now, 75 per cent of India's transshipment activities were conducted at foreign ports, resulting in significant revenue losses for the country."
"However, this is poised to change. The funds previously spent abroad will now be channeled into domestic development, creating new economic opportunities for the people of Vizhinjam and Kerala, ensuring that the nation's wealth directly benefits its citizens," he said.
He said that the people of Gujarat will be disappointed with Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani for building such a huge port in Kerala when he hails from the western Indian state.
The PM also referred to the era before slavery and said that India flourished with prosperity for thousands of years.
"At one point, it held a significant share of the global GDP. What set India apart from other nations during that time was its impressive maritime capabilities and the thriving economic activity in its port cities. Kerala, in particular, played a major role in this success," he said.
Modi further said that the full potential of the port economy is realised when infrastructure development and ease of doing business are prioritised and promoted.
"Over the past decade, this approach has been the cornerstone of the government's port and waterways policies.
"Significant strides have been made in advancing industrial activities and driving the holistic development of the state," he said.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan highlighted that the state government covered a significant portion of the project cost. Of the total Rs 5,686 crore, the state government contributed Rs 5,370.86 crore, while Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd invested Rs 2,497 crore. The union government provided a viability gap fund of Rs 818 crore. The Vizhinjam port was initially conceived by the UDF government, with the formal agreement signed in 2015. The LDF government, which assumed power in 2016, successfully completed the project on schedule. "We could achieve this too," Vijayan told the cheering crowd.
The formal dedication by the Prime Minister comes over four months after the port began its commercial operations. Trial operations started on July 13, 2024, and the port transitioned to full commercial activity on December 3. Since then, it has handled 285 ships and processed 6 lakh TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) of container cargo—almost ten times the original estimate.
(With inputs from Online Desk, PTI)