Even as the Beypore port was allocated ₹15 crore in the State budget, the delay in implementing many of the previously announced development proposals and the port’s non-inclusion in the Union government’s Sagarmala flagship project continues to hit its future prospects. Exporters’ forums also indicate that the State has to walk an extra mile to lift the status of Beypore from the position of a minor port to a well-equipped sea port.
The Port Advisory Council under the Calicut Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that the promise in the last year’s budget that Beypore and Kollam ports would be included in the Sagarmala project was not kept. They also added that not even a single project has been proposed or won the clearance of the Union government to be included under the programme.
The annual cargo handling capacity of the Beypore port continues to be 5,000 tonnes for many years. The delay in facility upgrade has contributed a lot to the financial loss that the minor port recently suffered following the pandemic-induced crisis.
Declarations in the previous budgets that public-private partnership (PPP) mode projects would be implemented are still in paper. Land acquisition for the expansion of existing facilities, including the construction of new and dedicated wharfs for international cargo vessels and godowns for enhanced storage, is nowhere near the starting point.
Road project
Though the Union government had earlier given nod for a major road project worth ₹400 crore connecting Beypore with the Malaparamba bypass, the preparatory works for readying the DPR were not completed on time. Issues related to the alignment were also not settled.
Munshid Ali, an exporter and the member of the Port Advisory Council, said Mangaluru and Tuticorin ports have managed to attract the Beypore’s share of cargo by offering better facilities. “Major exporters of coffee and spices from Wayanad and Coorg are now depending on the Mangaluru port for their business, which is a great loss for Beypore,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Port Department sources claimed that the Union government’s stand against the inclusion of minor ports under Sagarmala project had been affecting the growth of Kerala ports. “Still, we are expecting a favourable stand by Minister for Ports and Shipping Sarbananda Sonowal who had already held a meeting with Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas about the State’s proposal for the realisation of a ₹430-crore development mission,” they added.
