The Trivandrum Residents Apex Council (TRAC) on Tuesday urged the MLAs in the district to unite and work towards setting up the proposed ship-building yard at Poovar.
The Union government had plans for setting up two world-class shipyards in the country — one on the west coast and the other on the east coast. It had nominated the Mumbai Port Trust as the nodal agency for selecting suitable locations that would provide a waterfront of 20 m depth and appropriate offshore distance to set up shipyards on the west coast of the country.
According to a press note issued issued by the council here, the agency had submitted a report suggesting Poovar as a suitable location. At the time, when V.S. Achuthanandan was the Chief Minister, 100 acres of land was also allotted for the proposed project.
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On the occasion of launching the bollard testing unit at Vizhinjam Port in the district in September, the Central Shipping Secretary had also pointed out the importance of Poovar region.
Despite this, the government had taken no initiative to make this project a reality. Instead, the present government was approaching the Centre for a proposal for shipyard facility at Azhikkal port in Kannur district, which had only a four-metre depth.
Pointing out that the work on the east coast shipyard had already started in Andhra Pradesh, the council requested the people's representatives to work towards the goal of setting up a shipyard at Poovar at the earliest.
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