Modi refuses to stop Colachel port

“Both Vizhinjam and Colachel projects are important for the nation’s development,” Modi informed Kerala Chief Minister Pinayari Vijayan and his delegation when they met him in Delhi. Currently, huge container ships are unable to berth in India and Vizhinjam and Colachel are expected to fill the void.The delegation voiced its concern over the in-principle  assent  given to Tamil Nadu’s Colachel port project which will come up hardly 30 km from Vizhinjam.  Accompanied by Kerala Ports Minister Kadanapally Ramachandran and MPs Suresh Gopi, Shashi Tharoor and Karunakaran, Vijayan submitted a petition demanding the scrapping of the Colachel port, as it would harm the business prospects of Vizhinjam, to come up at a cost of around Rs 7,000 crore by the Adani group.  Modi agreed to examine Kerala’s concerns, but refused to drop the Colachel, saying both the port projects would be completed as planned. “The Centre will extend all help to complete the Vizhinjam port work in a time-bound manner. It will be given priority among the port projects,” Modi said. Both the ports are aimed at countering China’s ambitious plans of emerging as a key maritime player in the region.