Twenty-five years after it was conceived, and amid the CPMled opposition's chorus of having sold out to predatory capitalists, the government of Kerala finally inked the historic concession agreement with Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd on Monday for construction and development of the `7,525-crore project.
The construction of the port would begin on November 1, and Gautam Adani, chairman of Adani Group, promised to complete the project within 1,000 days, a gesture that chief minister Oommen Chandy said the state eagerly looked forward to.
Addressing issues like rehabilitation of fishermen and loss of livelihood, Adani said that his group would compensate everyone impacted by the project.“We will make Vizhinjam one of the world's largest mega transhipment container terminals that will make the people of Kerala, the state of Kerala and the nation proud,“ he said following the signing of the agreement in the state capital.
“Also, our experience across the country has taught us it is best to source the majority of the workforce locally and start investing in skill development required to get the local people ready for different roles needed for port construction and operations,“ he said.
