Uncertainty has gripped the cargo port at Ponnani, the work of which had begun a year ago bringing high hopes to the people of Malabar.
The work has come to a halt with neither the government nor the firm engaged in developing the port giving a tenable reason for it.
A supervising official of Malabar Port Pvt Ltd., a Chennai-based firm developing the port, said he had no idea when the work would resume.
He agreed there were confusions about the future of the port, the first phase of which was expected to be completed in three years at a cost of Rs.1,000 crore.
Unlike the seaport proposed at Vizhinjam, the Ponnani cargo port did not stir up any controversy largely because it does not involve any public money.
Assembly Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan, representing Ponnani for two consecutive terms, had worked hard to clear the deck for the cargo port.
Apart from reviving the legacy of Ponnani as an ancient port, the cargo port was projected to boost the overall development of the State’s coastal region north of Kochi.
According to Mr. Sreeramakrishnan, it was a project completely protecting the interests of the State.
What the State had to give the private promoter was only 29.3 acre coast land on lease. Malabar Port was to reclaim 350 acre from the sea by constructing two approach bunds and a 2.5-km-long breakwater.
The reclamation was to be done in two years. However, only a part of the bund work was done.
The stopping of the work has raised many questions among the local people, including the legitimacy of the promoter.
Once the port is developed, the government will get a share of the revenue for 30 years. Malabar Port will have to leave after 30 years. The port is projected to promote cargo movement of textiles, machineries and coal, with the promoters largely eyeing the industries around Coimbatore and Tirupur.
