Govt announces port development works worth Rs 850 crore

Thiruvananthapuram: Port projects to the tune of Rs 850 crore would be taken up in the coming days in Kerala, Minister for Ports and Fisheries K Babu said Thursday.

He told reporters that a bunkering service would be introduced to enable refuelling, provide water and other items for big vessels passing through the sea off Kerala coast.

Other projects include the Rs 763-crore Ponnani port, the foundation stone for which would be laid next month, he said.

There are also plans to set up a sand purification plant at the port at a cost of Rs 20 crore, he said.

In another major initiative, a Rs 20-crore worth dredger and a container handling crane at a cost of Rs 14 crore would be made available at Azhikode port in Kannur district.

The work would soon begin on a Rs 10 crore NABARD-aided godown at Azhikode.

A container handling crane would be installed at Beypore port at Kozhikode at an estimated cost of Rs 14 crore and a Maritime Training Centre at a cost of Rs 10 crore at Kodugaloor are the other projects, he said.

The minister also added that new fisheries colleges would be started in Kollam, Kozhikode and Thrissur.

The government is also planning to set up a skill-based Fisheries Polytechnic Institute, he added.