Vallarpadamport, vallarpadam terminal, Smart city, kochi tourism

KOCHI: Opening up a new gateway for adventure tourists, Defence Minister A K Antony opened the Kochi International Marina here on Saturday.

The marina, the first of its kind in the country – and, in the public sector at that – is set up at Bolghatty Island by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC).

Delivering the inaugural address, Antony said Kerala should provide the best infrastructure to retain its supremacy in the tourism sector.

“Good roads and effective waste management can play a key role in attracting tourists to the state. The Kochi Marina is a commendable step towards providing better amenities to adventure tourists,” Antony said. He said the situation prevailing in the national capital was favourable for Kerala. “Apart form ministers, there are many efficient people holding key posts in almost all ministries. The state should make use of this situation, and I assure everything possible to help the state,” Antony said. Antony said he kept away from the State Government functions not because of any political stand-off.

“I have been keeping away from all functions. At present, I attend functions which the protocol demands,” Antony said.

Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who presided over the function, said the KTDC had initiated a number of new projects, including resorts at Muzhappilangad and Bekal, and a Kerala House in Chennai. He said the KTDC had become a profit-making organisation.

A three-storey Marina House and berths for 34 yachts are the major features of the marina. The berthing facility will be enhanced to 50 later. The marina was constructed by Sharjah-based Gulf Marinas on a project prepared by the Kerala Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation (KITCO).

The marina will be managed by the private company, Ocean Blue, on a three-year contract. However, the Marina House will be under the direct control of the KTDC.

The marina was set up at a cost of Rs 8.21 crore with a central assistance of Rs 4 crore.

Union Minister of State for Agriculture K V Thomas, P Rajeev MP, MLAs V K Ibrahim Kunju, M K Purushothaman and Dominic Presentation, Kerala Tourism Secretary V Venu, Cochin Port Trust chairman N Ramachandran, Tourism Ministrym Principal Secretary E K Bharat Bhushan and KTDC MD K G Mohanlal were present.

The Govt. of Kerala declared the shrine a tourist center in 2002. A request was submitted by Archbishop Daniel Acharuparampil of Varappuzha to make the church a Basilica. The Church was declared a National shrine on September12th 2004 by the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of India (CBCI) and the same year on December 1, His Holiness Pope John Paul II elevated the Shrine to the status of ‘Basilica’. It was officially declared by the Archbishop on February 12, 2005.

A major pilgrim centre for Christians, Church of Our Lady of Ransom is one of the oldest European Churches in India built by the Portuguese Missionaries. The church dedicated to the Holy Mary of Vallarpadam popularly known as ‘Vallarapadath Amma’, is located in the middle of Vallarpadam, a small idyllic island on the Vembanad lake, 1 km north from the mainland Kochi (Ernakulam), Kerala. Today the church elevated to the status of a Basilica as well as a National shrine attracts more than five lakh people including pilgrims and tourists, annually. One of the three Basilicas in Kochi, the Church is under the diocese of Verapoly (Varappuzha).

The church earlier accessible only by boat is now linked to the mainland Ernakulam, and the islands of Bolghatty, Mulavukad and Vypin by three adjacent bridges called the Goshree bridges. Vallarpadam island, about 3.9 km in length and 1.5 km in width is located between the islands of Mulavukad and Vypin, and to the east of Bolghatty island. Vallarpadam container Terminal, a proposed project here could make this small island one of the best hub ports in the world.

Now there is a new Rosary park in front of the church with a walkway which has sculptures and paintings featuring the four Mysteries of Faith celebrated by Catholics all over the world.

Every year the Feast of Our Lady of Vallarpadam is celebrated from September 16 to 24, and thousands of people irrespective of cast and creed from different parts of the country visit this Holy Place of Worship. Along with the Blessed Mary’s feast, the festival of the Holy spirit / Pentecostal festival is also celebrated with great enthusiasm.

The Vallarpadam terminal is a public-private partnership project being developed by DP World, along with the Cochin Port Trust. The paper said the project had been scheduled to be commercially operational by the first week of April, but has been delayed.

“The Cochin Port Trust has invested over $325m on road, rail connectivity and dredging of the channel,” sources told the Economic Times.

As the deadline of scheduled commissioning of the Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal by June is getting closer, the Kochi port is considering a review of various charges levied by it to create a level playing field for developing the terminal as a transshipment hub.

DP World which is operating the Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal has also requested the port management for urgent relaxation of cabotage law and measures to ensure competitive marine charges so that the new terminal becomes viable as an international transhipment facility rather than acting as a feeder port to Colombo.

A note prepared by the port trust at the recently concluded board meeting pointed out that the emergence of Kochi as a transhipment hub for India and a maritime gateway to South India hinged on the competitive advantages that it can offer to the global container trade.

Currently Dubai, Singapore and Colombo act as transhipment hubs for as much as 80% of the India-bound cargo. Hence, development of ICTT as a transhipment hub capable of handling large ships would help attract a major share of this cargo now being handled by these foreign ports.

But for this, the terminal handling charges and vessel related charges should be competitive and necessary relaxations are made in Indian cabotage law to attract foreign vessels.