As a prelude to the all-party meeting convened on June 3, the government on Tuesday published the draft concession agreement to be inked with the port operator and other documents related to the Vizhinjam International Deep water Multi-Purpose project.

Besides the 295-page draft concession agreement (DCA), the minutes of the 23rd meeting of the Empowered Committee headed by Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson that recommended the sole bid of the Ahmedabad-based APSEZ to the Cabinet and director board of Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL) have also been made public. The selection process, Request for Qualification (RFQ) and Request of Proposal (RFP) as part of the bid floated globally for the ambitious project along with the DCA and minutes of the Empowered Committee have been published on the official website of the VISL (www.vizhinjamport.in). The advertisements carried in the national and international media have also been made public.

The Cabinet meeting on May 20 had decided to convene an all-party meeting on June 3 before taking a call on accepting the sole bid of the APSEZ following apprehension from several quarters and allegations of corruption to the tune of Rs.6,000 crore.

Sources in the Port Department said making documents public before the June 3 meeting would enable a public debate on the draft concession agreement and the process adopted by the government to protect the State’s interests in revenue share, port estate development, maintenance, and dredging. As per the DCA, the maintenance and dredging would be the responsibility of the port operator. The port operator would be given the licence to build and operate. This would be for 40 years only and this included four years for construction.

Source : The Hindu