Vallarpadamport, vallarpadam terminal, Smart city, kochi tourism

Kochi: Six months after its commissioning, the country’s first ever International Container Transshipment Terminal at Vallarpadam is yet to commence actual operations
With hundreds of containers held up at ICTT and a number of International companies backing out, the terminal is in real crisis.
As many as 416 containers are held up at ICTT for more than a month due to lack of feeder vessles. Already some international shipping companies- CMA CGM, Maersk and ZIM- which had begun mainline operations to ICTT Vallarpadam, went back Colombo for transshipment due to the delay in sending containers from here to destination ports, sources said.
While the terminal is projected to handle an estimate of 7.75 lakh TEUs (Twenty foot equivalent units) of containers in 2011, the 13 available Indian feeder vessels together has a capacity to carry only 12, 156 TEUs at any point of time.
Also these 13 vessels, from SCI, Relay shipping, Gati, Seaways, Jindal and Caravel touch ICTT Vallarpadam only occasionaly.
Due to lack of feeder vessels, the container traffic has not increased much even after the commissioning of ICTT, officials said.
“Compared to the corresponding period last year, there is an increase of only about 4 percentage in container handling. It is much less than what we actually projected to achieve this year. The depth has not become an issue for vessels to call at ICTT,”. Cochin Port Trust Chairman Paul Antony said.
However, stastistics so far dosen’t paint a rosy picture.
While 1,30,887 containers were handled during the April- August 2010, this year only 1,36,736 containers were handled
In 2010 about about 3.12 lakh TEUs of containers were handled here. DP World, the prometers of ICTT Vallarpadam, has projected this to be 7.75 lakh TEUs in 2011, which would rake in 109.91 crore to the cochin port trust.
If no action is talen to exclude cargo vessels from the Cabotage law – which prevents foreign flag vessels to tranship containers between Indian Ports – ICTT Vallarpadam may not survive as a transhipment terminal.
It has been pointed out that the Parliamentary Standing Committe on Cabotage has resolved that the law should be relaxed to enable transhipment of containers through foreign flag vessels from Vallarpadam.
The Director General of Shipping has also recommended opening up of containerisedcargo to foreign flag vessels.

Idukki is one of the most beautiful and serene places in Kerala. At Idukki, you will find yourself in the lap of nature, so close to haven. Tourist attractions in Idukki are varied and interesting. Let’s have a look on some of the famous tourist attractions in Idukki district.

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Munnar
Due to its beautiful surroundings and so natural, Munnar has been christened as ‘Virgin Munnar’, in the tourism and travel industry. Munnar is well known for tea plantations and beautiful hills. Increasing fame and the growth of visitors may soon account to deletion of this description.

Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is a unique thorny scrub forest with numerous xerophytes species. Chinnar is well known for the habitat of the endangered Giant Grizzled Squirrel of India.

Devikulam
Located 16 km from Munnar, Devikulam symbolizes nature in her unspoiled state and glory. At Devikulam, the crisp and cool mountain air heavily loaded with the fragrance of wild flowers and rare herbs is any nature lover’s paradise and makes it one of the most serene and beautiful places in Kerala.

Idukki Dam
The Idukki dam, built across the Kuravan and Kurathi hills is the world’s second and Asia’s first arch dam. The Idukki dam, lying close to the cheruthoni barrage is 550 ft high and 650 ft. wide. The Idukki arch Dam is also one of the attractions of Idukki district and attracts a large number of visitors.

Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary
The Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary extends over the Thodupuzha and Udumpanchola taluka of Idukki district. The Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary is spread over an area of 77 sq km and is about 450-748 m above sea level. It is one of the most beautiful and flora and fauna rich wildlife in Kerala.

Marayoor
Marayoor is about 40 kilometers away from Munnar. It is interesting to note that Marayoor is the only place in Kerala which has a natural growth of sandal wood trees. Another attraction here is the relics of new Stone Age civilization, which have been unearthed here.

Top Station
Top Station, the tranquil hill station is located about 32 km from Munnar, on the Munnar-Kodaikanal Road. Perched at an altitude of 1700 m above sea level, Top Station is the highest point on Munnar-Kodaikanal Road and one of the most famous hill spots in Kerala.

Kuthumkal Waterfalls
The Kuthumkal waterfall provides a picturesque view of the water, cascading down from dazzling heights. The utter beauty of the place attracts thousands of tourists every year. This is truly nature at its best!

Places to see

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Mattancherry Palace (Dutch Palace)
The palace built by the Portuguese as a gift to the king of Cochin, is a wonderful treat for travelers with historic interest. The Portuguese designed oriental style double storied quadrangular monument of 1555 A.D, later the abode of the royal Cochin rulers-this is a perfect place to appreciate cultural influences on architecture .

Jewish Synagogue
This is at present the well preserved monument that was constructed by the Jews in late 16th century, raided by the Portuguese and later rebuilt by the Dutch. The synagogue still preserves some ancient religious scriptures. It is so famous a tourist attraction that the surrounding area is known as Jew town. Many antiques are available on sale here and it is also a center for spice trade.

The synagogue is open Sunday to Friday, from 10am to noon and from 3 to 5pm.IST

Bolghatty Palace
This elegant palace is situated away from the hustle of the city, on the Bolghatty Island. The palace that was once used by the Dutch is now well furnished and maintained as a hotel. The island also has a park and golf course. The serene atmosphere and the splendid view from there make it a perfect getaway. Frequent boat service is available from the mainland.

Fort Kochi beach
This is the cultural center at Kochi,here one can find many monuments that stand out as instances that speak about Kerala’s history and also of foreign influences on the architecture of the land. Along the beach, one can find the famous fishing nets lined up. These nets are replica of those used during the times of Chinese ruler Kublai Khan. Kochi is the only place in India that you can spot these.

Hill Palace Museum, Thripunithura
The first on the list for those interested in history and archeology, this is now the largest archaeological museum in Kerala and is the official residence of the Kochi royal family. The complex is a reflection of traditional architectural style of Kerala. Full-fledged ethno-archaeological articles and artifacts belonging to the Kochi royal family are all a luxury that the visitors to the place get to relish. In addition there are numerous species of flora including rare medicinal plants around the area,