The construction of a dedicated wharf for Lakshadweep Island at Beypore Port, for which a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Lakshadweep Development Corporation (LDC) and the Port Department in 2010, is likely to be taken up independently by the State government.
The port authorities said the construction of the 200-metre berth could not be delayed further, as it had been hanging in the balance for almost seven years, affecting cargo movement. The waterfront, earlier handed over to the LDC for the project, will now be taken back, they added.
The LDC has been reportedly cold-shouldering the MoU, claiming that the waterfront handed over to it had limited possibility of getting clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forest. However, the port authorities clarified that there was no room for such a doubt, as the land had been handed over to the corporation after addressing all issues.
“Though we will be taking up the construction of the wharf independently, the space will be dedicated to operation of ships from Lakshadweep to the main land,” said Port Officer Ashwini Prathap. The facility will be opened after collecting a reasonable amount of money from them, he added. Mr. Prathap pointed out that the lack of space for mercantile and passenger vessels was turning out to be a hurdle for full-fledged operations at the port. Even frequent labour issues and strikes were owing to the lack of such facilities, where manual labour was solely dependent on movement of goods, he claimed.The port authorities hope that cargo movement through Beypore will be resuming pace with the reopening of one of the two wharfs, which were closed recently for renovation. According to officials, the work, estimated to cost ₹40 lakh, will be completed in two weeks so as to open the facility early for vessels that resumed sailing on Friday after the monsoon period ban on safety grounds.
Other major renovation projects, including the interlocking of the port compound, painting of godown, and construction of restroom for labourers and gate house, are also in the final phase. Nearly ₹1 crore will be spent on the overall renovation and beautification of the port surroundings.
