The land acquisition for constructing a rail link between the Vizhinjam International Seaport and the existing Indian railway network at Balaramapuram is progressing fast, Port Minister V.N. Vasavan has informed the Assembly.
Replying to questions on Tuesday, the Minister said the acquisition of 4.697 hectares in Balaramapuram, Pallichal, and Athiyannur villages was in the final stages. The acquisition of 0.829 hectares in Vizhinjam village was also progressing. The total cost of the project, including for acquiring 5.526 ha for which a sum of ₹198 crore was needed, was estimated at ₹1,482.92 crore. The detailed project report (DPR) prepared by the Konkan Rail Corporation was approved by the Southern Railway in March 2022.
The Minister said the deadline for the construction of the railway line connecting the Vizhinjam Port to the national rail network was December 2028, as per a new agreement with the Adani Vizhinjam Private Port Limited (AVPPL). The Konkan Rail Corporation Limited had been entrusted with the construction of the rail line. According to the DPR prepared by it, a 10.7-km railway line had been envisaged, including a 9.43-km -tunnel. The project had received environmental clearance from the Union government. It was hoped that the DPR of the project would be approved by the Cabinet and construction work would begin soon, the Minister said.
Proposals had also been submitted to the Centre to provide funds for the rail connectivity project through its various schemes such as PM Gati Shakti, the Scheme for Special Assistance for States for Capital Investment, Sagarmala, Rail Sagar and so on. Further, the construction of the 1.7-km road connecting the port to NH-66 was in the final stages. The Minister also said that the intersection scheme of the port road with NH-66 had also been submitted to the National Highways Authority (NHAI) for consideration.
Published – March 04, 2025 09:24 pm IST