Azhikkal port might finally be developed

Efforts are on to revive the long standing proposal for the development of Azhikkal port in Kannur. An official team of Cochin Shipyard recently visited the site to take stock of the technical aspects of the numerous possibilities the port is expected to offer. Before these revival efforts, the development of the port was taken up earlier too. A global tender was floated for the development of the port on a PPP basis at the beginning of 2011. While Mundra Ports and SEZ Ltd had responded to the tender, it was later scrapped by the state government. Deloitte India Ltd was later given the task of preparing a feasibility report. The Union Government’s National Maritime Development Programme (NMDP) too had shown interest in developing the project but the state government hadn’t shown any interest. Now, a coast guard academy is also proposed at the site.