The Kerala Ports Department is learnt to have decided to invite fresh bids for the development of Beypore and Azhikkal ports.

The re-tendering process will be initiated once the new Government assumes office after the elections, according to sources.

Global tender

The global tender floated in February this year inviting a private partner for developing the Beypore port, near here, through public-private partnership (PPP) route, had failed to elicit any response. This was despite the last date for submitting the bids having been extended by a couple of weeks, in the light of some companies expressing interest in taking part in the tendering process.

In the event, the Ports Department had decided to review the situation and ask Consulting Engineers Private Ltd, which prepared the detailed feasibility report, to revise some of the suggestions contained in the report, especially those relating to the revenue returns to the Government.

The tender was for the development of the port at an outlay of Rs 163 crore. The Ports Department had earlier entered into an agreement with Lakshadweep Development Council for the construction of a separate berth by the latter for handling passenger and cargo traffic to and from the island.

The sources said that Azhikkal port was also set to undergo re-tendering process after the installation of the new Government.

The global tender floated in October last year to rope in a private partner for the development of the port had brought in Mundra Port and SEZ Ltd as the lone bidder. As against a project cost of Rs 463 crore envisaged by the department, the company had submitted a Rs 3,000-crore proposal with the implementation of the project to be spread over two phases.

Gas-based project

It was pointed out that the proposal was in the context of a plan for setting up a mega coal-based power plant in the region.

This would require large quantities of coal and the port was expected to handle the coal import.

However, the Government later decided to go in for a gas-based project in its place, thus doing away with the need for any coal import. This has dampened the interest of Mundra Port in the project, forcing the department to look for a new partner.

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