Will the Mallu board the ship?

Another historical achievement for India. VIZHINJAM INTERNATIONAL SEA PORT has been inaugurated by the Hon. Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi Ji. A port envisaged by Sir. C.P. Ramaswamy Iyer in the 1940s and located just 19 nautical miles away from the international cargo route, this mother port will save humongous amount of money, time and effort, not only for the Indian freight carriers but for the international seafarers as well.

This project has taken far too long to be fulfilled, thanks to the Kerala politicians who are terribly outdated. Politicians of 'literate' Kerala are notorious for being outdated with zero vision about future. One anecdote is about Dr. Manmohan Singh,the then Prime Minister laughing out loud when he read a petition from Kerala MPs. 

MANMOHAN SINGH'S RARE BURST OF LAUGHTER

Curiously,this port has been built with 60% funding by Government of Kerala.However, the real challenge is to operate it successfully in a state which has often proved to be Waterloo for industrialists. This project is certainly vital for our nation's economic and strategic interests. Today, the Prime Minister was greeted by one of the world's largest and most sustainable vessels, MSC Celestino Maresca. To give the reader a perspective, this ship has a length of 399.99 m, more than the height of the Eiffel Tower. Earlier this month, MSC Turkiye (400m long) which is the world's largest eco-friendly container ship had docked at this port. 

'Optimal use' of Vizhinjam port can save more than 200 million $ annually for India's shipping industry. Remember that India's first container hub terminal located in my home town of Kochi at Vallarpadam, has become a loss making venture for the Cochin Port. As Modiji hinted in his inaugural address today, the state government has to treat the Adani group as partners. Investment by the state government is no guarantee that the politicians will allow the port to function in the way it is supposed to.

The failure of India's first Technology park located at Thiruvananthapuram, the fiasco of Kochi Smart City, the struggling Kochi Metro are just a few instances that highlight Kerala's absolute failure in leveraging its unique possibilities. 

Yea, we Mallus have missed quite a few buses, hope we will board Vizhinjam before the ship casts off. 

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” – William Arthur Ward