Facelift plan for Kottayam Port on the cards, says minister

Kochi:The Kerala government is planning to augment the cargo handling capacity at Kottayam Port so that this inland port and container depot can tap the opportunities offered by the soon-to-be-commissioned Vizhinjam. International Seaport

Aannouncing this, the state port minister V N Vasavan, who recently took over the portfolio said during his visit to the port that moves are afoot to bring the port under the Maritime Board.

The minister said that more barges would be acquired to increase the volume of cargo handling at the port. At present, the port can handle 1000 to 2000 containers monthly.

``We expect that with the commissioning of Vizhinjam port, the flow of containers to here to be ferried to the mother port will increase manyfold. The challenge before the government is to equip the port for handling the resultant high demand.’’ The minister said.

The port handled 5.54 lakh tonnes of goods worth Rs 621.09 crore until December 2023. This apart, it contributed Rs 81.28 crore towards customs duty and paid GST of Rs.5.54 crore.during the period .

In Kottayam Port and Container Terminal Ltd, the company that owns and operates the port, the State Government holds 49 percent stake , and the balance is held by individual investors.