ICTT will be a reality by 2009 end

KOCHI: The vallarpadam international container transshipement terminal (ICTT) would be a reality by the end of 2009 as work on both the road and rail connectivity was progressing satisfactorily, Cochin Port Trust (CPT) Chairman, N Ramachandran, said here on Wednesday.

"We are certain that by November 2009 we will have Vallarpadom terminal a reality," he told reporters here. He said all land acquisition for the rail connectivity has been completed. With regard to road connectivity, some small holdings are still left due to certain technical reasons.

Dubai Port World (DPW), the BOT (Build, Operate, Transfer) operators of the project have taken up construction of the terminal, which was going on in full swing, he said.

To a query, he said the scheduled date April 2009 has been revised as November 2009. The revision had to be done due to some dealy in land acquisition. DPW has also agreed to it and the scheduled date has been fixed as November 29, 2009, he added.