V.O.C. Port in Thoothukudi has all the potential to be developed into a good transhipment port in the country, said N. Muruganandham, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Department, while delivering his special address at the inauguration of Maritime Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Conclave 2022 here on Thursday.
The two-day conclave was held to commemorate the 25th year of PPP in major ports and organised by FICCI. Talking about the wide range of issues plaguing port sector like huge idle staff, poor infrastructure, absence of modern technology and a strong labour union in the past, he said the PPP saved major ports from going irrelevant despite stiff competition from non-major ports.
He said the PPP had proved a success in the development of infrastructure sectors of roads, ports, power and airports, except railways whose reluctance for PPP and the enjoyment of monopoly had resulted in stagnation of services.
The PPP route in the port sector had helped in infusion of modern technologies for faster clearance of goods, operational efficiency in bringing turnaround time and a flexible and agile management, he said.
While appreciating the growth and development of major ports since the sector was opened for PPP, he said the real potential was yet to be reached as the tariff authority remained fixed and the slow approval process, particularly with regard to security clearance, took ages to develop the ports.
Accepting the theory of making V.O.C. Port a transhipment port, S. Krishnan, Additional Chief Secretary, Industries Department, said the State had plans to make Thoothukudi a green energy hub because of the proximity of the port.
Sunil Paliwal, Chairperson, Chennai Port Authority and CMD, Kamarajar Port Limited, said the first PPP was signed in Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority in Nava Sheva in 1997 and since then lots of investments and modernisation had happened in various sectors. Since the PPP was signed in Chennai Port in 2001, a lot of learning had happened wherein seven terminals were operated by private partners successfully.
Pointing out that the PPPs occupies an important role in nation building, T.K. Ramachandran, Chairperson, V.O.C. Port Authority, Thoothukudi, said they were here to stay. He said the country was planning to expand the port berths from 38 to 200 through the PPP model in the coming years.
S. Balaji Arunkumar, Deputy Chairman, Chennai Port Authority, and Bhupesh Nagarajan, Co-Chairperson, FICCI Tamil Nadu State Council, spoke on the occasion.
