Date:09/01/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/01/09/stories/2006010900030600.htm

Back A multi-modal gateway for central Kerala

Sajeev Kumar K.

TO USE the immense potential of inland navigation in Kerala, the South India Chamber of Commerce and Industry based in Kottayam district has mooted the idea of setting up a multi-modal ICD and dry port, linking inland waterways to the Cochin Port Trust.

The project, called the Kottayam Port and Container Terminal, will be set up in public-private partnership with 49 per cent stake held by the Kerala Government and the rest 51 per cent by the industry, NRIs and others. The project will be the first of its kind in Kerala with both road and inland waterways access to the port.

According to the Chamber, the project will be of real utility to those in the central part of the State once the Shipping Ministry's proposal to convert the Vaikkom-Kottayam waterways to National Waterway No. 3 happens. The Chamber had purchased 10 acres at Nattakom near Kottayam with water frontage and tar road access to the State Highway to implement what the chamber called the major infrastructure development project.

The Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) is setting up an export promotion industrial park in 80 acres adjacent to the terminal. Moreover, the Cochin Port Trust had also expressed its willingness to provide 50 acres in its premises on licence basis to facilitate landing, handling and stacking of containers.

The ICD and dry port are being set up at an investment of Rs 936 lakh in the first phase with the overall objective of providing infrastructure facilities for movement of Customs-cleared stuffed export containers originating from the central districts of Kerala such as Kottayam, Idukki and Pathanamthitta. The Chamber officials said that there are about 1,000 exporters engaged in the export activity from these districts and nearly 18,500 TEUs containers are being transported from these centres to the port by road. An ICD at Kottayam will help increase export activities from these three districts.

The objective of the project is to facilitate and induce exports from the central parts of the State and promote cargo consolidation and inland navigation. It will be the first multi-modal ICD in India utilising inland navigation facility. The total logistics cost can be reduced by resorting to road as the mode of transport to Kochi Port from Kottayam.

On the terminal's operations, the Chamber officials said that the cargo had to be transported on low platform roll trailers on barges. The entire operation would be on roll-on-roll-off concept. At least three warehouses, each measuring about 1,200 sq m would be built to facilitate the storage of cargo before and after Customs clearance. The Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation has expressed its interest to extend all possible help by providing necessary vessels for an initial period for the cargo movement, they added.

Inland waterways, considered to be the lifeline of Kerala, has gradually lost lose its importance with the development of road and railways. The use of waterways has thus been restricted to those areas where other transport modes could not serve as alternative. However, integration of maritime and inland water transportation has become a subject of discussions in various seminars, highlighting the significance of coastal shipping in the maritime State of Kerala.

By utilising the topographical advantages, the interlinking of IWT and minor ports of the State can be achieved with less effort. However, steps must be taken to encourage private parties to set up infrastructure facilities for the development of IWT terminals to cater to the future transportation needs of the State.

A stage has come to explore the possibility of restoring the navigability and effective utilisation of the waterways, as further development of roads and railways in thickly populated places in the State needs high investment and large-scale displacement of settlements.

According to sources in the IWT sector, the Expenditure Reforms Commission report had asked the Centre to accord the highest priority to IWT on the lines of National Highway Development Programme. Of all the modes, inland water transport is considered the most fuel-efficient, economical- and environment-friendly and most of the developing countries have now realised the importance of water transport.