Lack of Navys NOC hits terminal work at CPT

KOCHI: The construction of a dedicated terminal for Lakshadweep-bound passenger and cargo ships at the Cochin port is likely to be delayed owing to the Southern Naval Command’s refusal to issue a no-objection Certificate (NOC) for it.The terminal is being constructed by the Cochin Port Trust on the western side of Willingdon Island, between the South Coal Berth and the Workshop Jetty. The land was leased out by the Port Trust. The proposed terminal will have a 300-metre-long berth, a passenger waiting hall of about 1,100 square metres, a cargo storage area of about 400 square metres and a vehicle parking area. The terminal will also have facilities such as prayer halls, bank counter, tourist information counter, first aid centre, snack bar and toilets. Though the project was planned at an estimated cost of `32 crore, it has now gone up to `5 crore.The construction of the berths has almost been completed. The construction of the terminal building is in a stage where Naval sanction is mandatory.According to the Naval authorities, the NOC was denied due to safety reasons. “As per the directions from the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), those who are engaged in any kind of construction within a 20-kilometre radius of an aerodrome should get an NOC from the aerodrome authorities. In the case of construction of the terminal, they have not even requested for the NOC. They had just sent us an intimation that the construction had begun. They were supposed to have obtained NOC for starting the construction.” The Naval authorities, however, said that the issue would be considered based on its merit. About ten passenger ships and several other cargo vessels are plying between Lakshadweep Islands and Kochi and these vessels are being anchored at different berths of Cochin Port due to lack of an exclusive berthing facility.“The terminal was envisaged as a dedicated terminal. It will be a boon for the Lakshadweep islanders who have to depend on the mainland, which is about 185 miles away, for higher education, medical purposes, food items, fuel and consumer goods,” sources said.