Prime Minister to dedicate Vizhinjam Port to nation tomorrow

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the Vizhinjam International Seaport to the nation tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony of this pivotal economic project for Kerala will take place at 11 a.m., marking a significant milestone in realising the dream of having India’s largest port.

After completing his visit to Andhra Pradesh, the Prime Minister will arrive in the state capital by 7 p.m. today and stay at the Raj Bhavan. He will travel to Vizhinjam by helicopter around 10 a.m. tomorrow and inspect the port facilities. The commissioning ceremony will follow, with seven individuals joining the Prime Minister on stage — selected by the PM’s security team. The event will last approximately 1.5 hours, concluding by 12:30 p.m., after which the PM will depart.

Dignitaries expected to attend include Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Ministers Suresh Gopi and George Kurian, State Ports Minister V.N. Vasavan, State Ministers V. Sivankutty, G.R. Anil, Saji Cherian, former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, MPs Shashi Tharoor, Adoor Prakash, A.A. Rahim, MLA M. Vincent, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, Adani Ports Managing Director Karan Adani, and Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Arya Rajendran.

Tight security measures
Amid concerns over the Kashmir issue, there were doubts about a possible postponement of the Vizhinjam commissioning. However, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed recently that the schedule remains unchanged. Stringent security arrangements are in place today and tomorrow. A security trial was conducted yesterday and will be repeated today. Traffic regulations are also being enforced in the capital and surrounding roads.