Powerless seafood park

The seafood park project at Aroor near Kochi, though unique, is yet to take off despite its formal inauguration by the Union minister for food processing on November 26.

Official sources informed Business Standard that the project site is yet to secure power due to the indifference of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). The central government's assistance of Rs 1.35 crore as grant-in-aid has not been cleared so far.

The Aroor sub-station of the KSEB does not have the capacity for supplying the required power to the site and additional facilities could be installed only by paying Rs 1.2 crore to the board.

Although all 10 units of the park are ready for commencement of operations, power supply is a major hurdle for the project, which is the first seafood park in the country.

Sources said that all-out efforts were on to start operations in January 2005.

They said all the other modern amenities at the project site are read.