THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government has showed green light for an expansive industrial and economic growth triangle aimed at transforming the southern part of the state into a vibrant hub of commerce and industry, Finance Minister K N Balagopal announced on Tuesday.
The ambitious Vizhinjam-Kollam-Punalur Industrial and Economic Growth Triangle project will be developed through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) and will leverage the strategic potential of Vizhinjam port, set to be India’s largest transshipment port.
Industrial corridor
Spanning 1,456 square kilometers across the southern districts of Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram, the project envisions an integrated industrial corridor that will link coastal, central, and hilly areas via robust road and rail networks, Balagopal explained during a KIIFB press conference.
The government aims to establish a dynamic industrial ecosystem centered on growth triangles, nodes, sub-nodes, and corridors to boost the region’s competitive edge on a global scale.
However, industry leaders are calling on the government to limit its role to building the infrastructure, urging that private enterprises be empowered to drive industrial operations within the corridor.
Pvt sector better suited
They argue that the private sector is better suited to run and sustain these ventures, citing a track record of losses in public-sector industrial initiatives.
“By focusing on infrastructure and letting private players take the lead, Kerala could attract investment and achieve more sustainable economic growth,” industry leaders told businessbenchmark.news.
The Vizhinjam-Kollam-Punalur corridor marks a pivotal step toward evolving South Kerala into a port-based economy, with industry advocates hopeful that streamlined government support and private sector management could maximise the project’s transformative potential.
