Thiruvananthapuram: The Vizhinjam Mother Port Action Council (V- MAC) has expressed its concern over reports that the Centre has cleared the development of the Kolachel port in Tamil Nadu.

A meeting organised by the council here on Friday said the Centre's move exposed the deep-seated conspiracy to torpedo the Vizhinjam project.

Speakers at the meeting said the Union Government and Shipping Minister T.R. Baalu had let Kerala down. The National Maritime Development Programme approved by the Centre forbids the construction of a port in such a manner that it leads to unhealthy competition with a neighbouring port.

It was surprising that the Shipping Minister who piloted the law had flouted the provisions, they said.

The Kolachel project was not at all in the picture when Vizhinjam was identified as a potential location for construction of an international container transhipment terminal. It was only when the public and the political leadership in Kerala started working for the project that the Union Minister began moves to torpedo it.

After raising several objections to delay the Vizhinjam project, the Centre had now come forward to fund the construction of a port at Kolachel.

The council also blamed successive Governments in Kerala for the failure to press ahead with the project and get it cleared by the Centre in time. The council urged the State Minister for Ports to start work on the Vizhinjam mother port by May as the Kolachel project was scheduled to be launched in December.

The meeting called on the Government to appoint a senior IAS official as the Managing Director of the Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd. (VISL) and expedite the tendering process.

It also stressed the need to allocate enough resources for the Vizhinjam project in the next State budget.

Action council leaders Fr. George Gomez, Mohankumar, D. Lawrence, Antony Pereira and Wilfred Kulas participated in the meeting.

Source : The Hindu Jan 20, 2007