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| Thursday, January 11, 2007 |
| Vizhinjam project likely to get rolling |
After days of lull, Kerala’s southern harbour is set to see some activity. The Rs 4,360-crore Vizhinjam Container Transhipment Terminal project is getting a new lease of life expected with the government opting to start the cycle afresh by going for a fresh global tender.
Read our earlier story on the Vizhinjam project here
The state government is already in the process of preparing a new set of norms for the tender. This is expected to be submitted to the Centre in the two weeks time, reports from the Kerala capital said.
State government sources revealed that the ministry concerned has decided that the process on the tender would be completed in eight months’ time. It may be recalled that the Rs 4,360-crore Vizhinjam Container Transhipment Terminal project had into rough weather with the Central Government not clearing the project proposal. The reasons stated were security concerns and the presence of Chinese players in the project. Now with new specifications being included in the tender to such an effect that only companies having the Union Government's security clearance could participate in the bidding, the issue seems more like being set aside.
Meanwhile, Kerala hs also announced plans to bring the project under the Viability Gap Funding Scheme of the Centre, thereby making the project draw a Central grant . It has been pointed out that Kerala might be eligible for 20 percent of the total cost of the project as grant. It may be recalled here that the earlier proposal had elaborated on a repayment loan.Labels: Business |
| posted by a correspondent @ 1:52 AM |
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