First mothership docks at Kerala's Vizhinjam international transhipment port
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Container ship, 'San Fernando', from China, berthed at Kerala's Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL) on Thursday marks the first arrival of such a vessel at India's largest transhipment port.
The mothership was given a water salute by four tugs, which piloted it to the dock.
San Fernando, a 300-meter-long cargo ship, will offload 1,900 containers at VISL on Friday, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launching the port's first phase of operations.
The mothership carries large containers which will be transferred to other ships and later transported to other ports in the country and abroad.
The inaugural ceremony will be attended by several dignitaries, including Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Central and state ministers, officials, and members of the public.
"The dream is approaching the shore. The first mothership is reaching Kerala's Vizhinjam port. San Fernando will be officially welcomed on behalf of Kerala tomorrow," Vijayan in Facebook post said on Thursday.
Equipped with modern equipment and advanced automation and IT systems, Vizhinjam will become India's first semi-automated port, expected to be fully commissioned in September or October 2024.
"It is a natural port with depths between 20 and 24 meters. We have found that the ocean bottom here is rocky, which is very rare. Elsewhere, we would have to dredge to attain such depths," Kerala Minister for Ports and Cooperatives V N Vasavan said.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
