THE SAGA of the Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport, which began as an idea in the 1940s, and almost drowned in the ebb and flow of power politics, all came together in one place on Friday. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned it, the BJP leader was flanked by CPI(M) Politburo member and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on one side, and Congress Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on the other. Occupying pride of place, right next to Modi, was Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, who at one time or another has been persona non grata for both the CPI(M) and Congress. Noting the cast of characters sharing the dais with him, PM Modi said: “I would like to say to our CM, you are a big and strong pillar of the INDI Alliance. Shashi Tharoor is also sitting here, and I would like to say that today's event will take away the sleep of many.” He also noted that Kerala Ports Minister V N Vasavan had referred to the Adani Group as a “partner” of the Communist-led state government, describing this as symbolic of the changes taking place in the country. CPI(M) position: Vijayan is the architect The CPI(M) is projecting the seaport as a major achievement of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front government’s nine years of governance. This is mainly because a lion’s share of the construction, which was slated to be completed in 2019, happened during its regime. Ports Minister Vasavan has been emphatic that it is Vijayan who is “the architect of the seaport”. While the CM has in turn given credit to “the people” for the project, he has denied any to the Congress-led United Democratic Front, saying that “laying the foundation stone is not enough to bring development”. The May 2 inauguration of the project was also synced with the fourth anniversary celebrations of the second Vijayan regime. This is quite a far cry from 2015, when the Congress government first inked the deal with the Adani Group for the project, and drew the censure of the CPI(M), which raised the fact that Adani was the lone bidder. The Left party termed the Vizhinjam deal “a land scam and a robbery of Rs 6,000 crore, at the cost of the livelihood of fishermen”. After it replaced the Congress in power in 2016, the Vijayan government ordered a judicial probe into the deal. Veteran CPI(M) leader V S Achuthanandan demanded that the government suspend the work until the probe report came out – which was ignored by Vijayan. Eventually, the judicial investigation could not come out with anything damning. Congress stand: Vizhinjam is Oommen Chandy’s baby The Congress has been underlining that the deal with the Adani Group for the project was first signed by its government led by Oommen Chandy in 2015, and calls Vizhinjam a testimony to the late leader’s willpower. After the CPI(M) raised corruption charges at the time, Chandy told the Assembly: “Protecting the interests of the state, the Vizhinjam project will be implemented at any cost. All suggestions are welcome. The allegations of corruption will not deter the government from going ahead with the project.” The omission to invite Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan for the port’s inauguration Friday was seen as another bid by the LDF government to erase the Congress’s contribution to it. Satheesan was invited later, but decided to boycott. Tharoor, who has pronounced his wholesome support to the project and was at the airport to receive Modi for his Kerala trip, was present at the commissioning of the port as the Thiruvananthapuram MP. Pre-Independence: Once, a Diwan The idea of a port at Vizhinjam came up in the 1940s when C P Ramaswami Iyer was the Diwan of the erstwhile Travancore state. Fifty years later, in 1995, the Congress government finally signed an MoU with Hyderabad-based Kumar Energy Corporation for the development of a port under the BOT (Build Operate Transfer) scheme. But this never took off. In 1996, when it came to power, the CPI(M) government revived the plan by appointing a committee to study the project. Again, this remained in limbo till 2004, when a new regime, of the Congress, prepared a feasibility study. The first global bid was floated in 2005. This time, due to security reasons, the bid was not successful. Later, after updated studies, bids were floated again in 2007 and 2010, during an LDF regime this time, but failed to get clearance from the Centre. Finally, a bid in 2014 was successful, and led to an agreement between the Kerala government and Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited for the Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport. The total cost of the first phase is Rs 8,686 crore, of which the state has to provide Rs 5,370 crore, the Adani Group Rs 2,499 crore and Centre Rs 817.80 crore as viability gap fund. In the second phase, which is slated to be completed by 2028, the Adani Group is to invest Rs 9,540 crore. Since trial operations began in July last year, the port has already made big strides, with 285 ships docking there. In February this year, Vizhinjam ranked first among 15 ports in the southeast coast of India in terms of cargo handled – among several other firsts. Officials point to the Vizhinjam port’s proximity to international shipping routes connecting Europe, Persian Gulf and the Far East, to underline its growth potential.
