Commissioning of inland waterway soon: Chief Minister

Minister Oommen Chandy has said that the Kollam-Kottapuram inland waterway(3) is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2012.

He was speaking at the valedictory function of the three-day international seminar on ‘New Trends in Logistics - The Gateway to Fast Track Prosperity’, here on Saturday.

Once commissioned, the 205-km waterway(3), connecting Kollam to Kottapuram in Thrissur,  will pave the way for better inland connectivity in the state, Chandy said.

“Kerala has a huge potential for inland waterway navigation. However, there are many bottlenecks in the smooth progress of the project,” Chandy added.

Fisheries Minister K Babu has been given the responsibility of clearing the bottlenecks for the inland waterway navigation project.

The waterways have shrunk in the past years owing to its improper management, the CM added.

The presence of fishing nets, issues related to dredging and the low-level bridges are a few of the hindrances.

“The development of the other inland waterways, Kollam-Kovalam and Kottapuram-Neeleeshwaram, will depend on the success of the Kollam-Kottapuram waterway. We are striving to develop the project in the best possible way,” the Minister added.

Chandy also spoke about the potential of the ports in Kerala.

“The Vizhinjam port will soon be commissioned. We also see immense potential in the Azhikkal port in Kannur, which has an ideal anchorage. We are equally considering the development of the smaller ports in the state too,” he said.

Speaking on the coastland navigation in the state, the CM added that once the focus shifts to waterway transport, the traffic congestion would be reduced. He called upon the logistics experts to submit their proposals regarding the development of the state.

“We will consider the proposals and will do our best to inculcate those which are plausible,” he added.

Excise Minister K Babu, chairman of the organising committee N A Muhammed Kutty, Kerala State Productivity Council chairman K V Ramachandran, KSPC secretary C K Krishnan and KSPC treasurer K N Gopinath were present.