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Kerala Exporters Forum has suggested Beypore be developed as a satellite port of the International Container Transshipment Terminal at Vallarpadam for the benefit of the Exim community in Malabar region.
This would help Beypore Port handle cargo from many overseas destinations at reduced terminal handling charges, which in turn would benefit the trade. Beypore can also be converted into a destination port by bringing cargo directly from Gujarat. However, better infrastructure facilities have to be provided by the government, the Forum said.
The Exporters Forum also sought the intervention of the government-level committee to take steps to include Beypore Port in the Sagarmala Scheme which will help it to get Central government funding for development. The trading community has also expressed its willingness to provide necessary investment support for the development of the required infrastructure, KM Hameed Ali, president of the Forum said, adding that the port can also be a facilitator for crew change operations for ships coming from the Persian Gulf and Far East.
In a memorandum submitted to visiting Kerala Port Minister, Ahmed Devarkovil, the Forum urged the government to give necessary clearances for developing the required infrastructure projects without any delay. There is also a need to carry out eight-meter dredging at Beypore Port to accommodate big ships.
Ali also urged the government to make reasonable the port charges in line with the fee fixed at other minor ports of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Karnataka. Beypore also offers good scope for storage of steel and cement and the government should take steps to set up warehouses and logistics parks near the port area, he added.
The port currently handles wheat and other food grains from Gujarat that are then moved to various destinations in the Malabar region. This cargo can be doubled once the infrastructure facilities are improved. The high labour cost is also an impediment in the development of the port and the government should take steps to regulate the wage structure of labourers for the benefit of the trade, Munshid Ali, Secretary of the Forum, said.
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