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The Government plan to start work by December 2008


Posted on 17 Apr 2007
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 17-04-07: Major foreign and Indian entities are among 43 companies that attended the Global Investors' Meet called by the State Government here on Tuesday to showcase the Deepwater Container Transhipment Terminal at Vizhinjam, preparatory to going in for global tenders for the project.

Foreign companies include Maersk, Denmark; Alberg Ports, Australia; NISSIN Corporation, Japan; Beckett Rankine, the United Kingdom; Dubai Ports World, Dubai; Cyan Holdings BV, the Netherlands and FIDATO, Ranhill Group of Companies, Malaysia. The meet was also attended by a consortium comprising Obocon Inc., the U.S.A; KGL Transport, Kuwait; Astra international, Indonesia and Unity Infrastructure, Mumbai.

Among the Indian companies represented at the meet were Reliance Industries, Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, Shipping Corporation of India, Gammon India, Mudra Port and Special Economic Zone Limited, Ashok Leyland Project Services, Emmar MGF Land Private Limited, Essar Constructions, Soma Enterprises, Zoom Developers and JM Baxi Group.

Briefing the media after the meet, Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan said the Government would immediately call global tenders for this public-private partnership project, costing Rs.43.60 billion (U.S. $ 1,015 million) as per 2003 estimates, so that a joint venture company for implementing it would be in place by November this year. The Government's plan is to have the works started by December 2008.

The State public sector company Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited will act as the nodal agency for executing the preparatory work connected with the project. The State Government will have 24 per cent stakes in the project, the rest being reserved for the successful bidder. Conceived along the `build-operate-transfer' mode, the project will have to be transferred to the Government after 30 years.

"The response to this meet was quite encouraging. We are confident that everything will fall in place as per plan," he said.

Source: The Hindu