T’puram: The Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL) has identified a new 20-acre site near Amaravila, further south of Udiyankulangara, for Central Warehousing Corporation’s (CWC) proposed logistics park and warehouse, following protests by locals against the earlier location.The new parcel, which is being considered for the project, has relatively lower population density and is also close to the railway line, an important requirement for the proposed logistics facility. VISL had earlier been examining land near the railway bridge at Udiyankulangara for the project.“We decided to look for an alternative site a little further south following the protests at Udiyankulangara,” said a senior official associated with the project.The CWC facility is planned as part of the logistics infrastructure being developed around Vizhinjam International Seaport to facilitate storage, movement and handling of cargo generated by the port. VISL has been coordinating the process of identifying suitable land for the warehousing corporation.The earlier proposal at Udiyankulangara had triggered strong opposition from locals, who claimed that around 500 houses were in and around the proposed project area. Residents had raised concerns that acquisition of the land would result in displacement of families.An action council was formed by locals to oppose the proposal, with the local CPM unit also backing the agitation. The protests had put pressure on the authorities to reconsider the location.The proposed CWC facility is among the logistics infrastructure projects planned in the hinterland of Vizhinjam. The development of warehouses, container freight stations and multimodal logistics facilities is seen as important to support the port as cargo volumes increase.
