Thiruvananthapuram :  The concession agreement for the Vizhinjam international deepwater multi-purpose Port will be signed on August 17, State Ports Minister K Babu has said.

 

This was decided after Karan Adani, Executive Director of concessionaire Adani Ports & SEZ, and his team met here with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, his cabinet colleagues and top State Government officials.

 

Chairman of Adani Ports & SEZ Gautam Adani is expected to be present at the signing ceremony. Work on the project will begin on November 1, the State Formation Day, Babu said.

 

Before the signing of the agreement can take place, the Adanis will have to float a special purpose vehicle for taking up construction work and furnish Rs. 125 crore with the State Government as security deposit.

 

The Chief Minister also promised to send a communication to the Prime Minister urgently seeking his intervention for relaxation of Cabotage law for the proposed Rs. 7,525-crore Mega Port project. He reminded the Adanis that he has taken up the issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on more than one occasion.

 

Acquisition of required land is complete to the extent of 90 per cent, Babu said. He hoped that the Port would become a reality as scheduled within a period of next four years. Karan Adani told newspersons after the meeting that complete transparency is the hallmark with respect to all procedures undertaken so far in the project and will continue to be, going forward.

 

He also sought the support from all local people and political parties in the realisation of the long-pending project which would lead to the all-round development of not just Vizhinjam and neighbourhood but the state at large.

 

Industries Minister PK Kunhalikkutty, Health Minister VS Sivakumar, Shashi Tharoor, MP, Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson, and AS Suresh Babu, CEO and Managing Director of promoters Vizhinjam International Seaport, were also present at the meeting.