Kerala: Credit War Ensues Between CPM, Congress Over Adani's Vizhinjam Port As First Ship Docks

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday (15 October) flagged in the Chinese ship Zhen Hua 15 at Vizhinjam port, close to Thiruvananthapuram,

This was the first ship to dock at the Rs 7,700-crore deep water international seaport constructed as a public-private partnership with the Adani Group.

The event, hosted by the Left Front government to greet the ship, saw the presence of dignitaries like Junior External Affairs Minister V Muraleedharan, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, Opposition Leader V D Satheesan, and various state ministers and politicians.

The ship's entry was accentuated with tugboats offering a water salute and guiding the vessel, laden with massive cranes, from the wharf to its docking yard.

Both the CPM-led Left Front and the Congress-led UDF opposition staked their claim over the Vizhinjam seaport initiative, sparking a heated exchange. Nonetheless, the ship's arrival was met with jubilation, fireworks, and balloons, momentarily overshadowing the debates linked to the project.

This port, set to be among the world's largest when operational next year, began its construction journey in 2015.

Congress's VD Satheesan attributed the project's realization to the late Kerala CM Oommen Chandy and criticised Vijayan for claiming its success.

He highlighted that Vijayan, during his tenure as the party secretary, had raised corruption allegations amounting to Rs 6,000 crore against the project that cost Rs 5,000 crore.

Countering this, CPM's state secretary M V Govindan refuted the Congress's assertions, emphasising that the port's idea was conceived by former Left Front CM EK Nayanar three decades ago and was later championed by V S Achuthanandan.

Kerala's Finance Minister K N Balagopal alleged that it was Congress's A K Antony who had previously obstructed the project's security clearance during his tenure as defence minister.

CM Vijayan voiced his excitement about the port's future prospects.

"The developments will be beyond our imagination and we must have a favourable and strong attitude to achieve that," he said, Times of India reported.

He also lauded the port's promising potential in container trans-shipment, anticipating it could even surpass Singapore in the future.

With the inaugural vessel now docked, Adani Ports CEO Karan Adani expressed eagerness to kickstart the project's second phase.

He projected that the port would create job opportunities for over 5,500 individuals, both directly and indirectly.