Though Kerala has 17 minor ports, some of which had forged trade ties with foreign merchants centuries ago, these ancient harbours have been lying idle of late due to the poor coastal shipping activities along the Kerala coast. But soon, tourists visiting Kerala will get a feel of the State’s maritime history and how the port premises were used the past.
The Ports and Tourism departments have decided to develop tourism projects on the land owned by the Ports department near the sea by adhering to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms, which classify coastal areas into different zones to regulate and manage infrastructure activities.
Speaking to The Hindu Kerala Maritime Board Chairman N.S. Pillai said port bungalows constructed during the colonial period, lighthouses under the board, and the oldest sea bridges in the State at Valiathura, Alappuzha, and Thalassery would be refurbished and opened to tourists.
Private investment
A public-private partnership (PPP) model will be adopted for the project by inviting private investment. The properties would be manned by private players for about 30 years on a revenue-sharing model which can be extended to 10 more years based on the share of investment made by the private players. A project monitoring consultancy would be selected soon and an expression of interest (EoI) would be floated to select private players, said Mr. Pillai.
The Kozhikode port bungalow and the land adjacent to it, the port buildings and vicinity at Valiathura in Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha marina, and the lighthouses at Kozhikode and Alappuzha would be developed in the first phase. If developed without upsetting the ambience, the port structures can attract a lot of tourists to Kerala since the State had once enjoyed a prominent place in the international maritime trade networks.
Now, with the Vizhinjam international seaport, which is very close to the international shipping channel, set to be commissioned this year, the coastal shipping activities based on minor ports are likely to be reinvigorated, say officials.
