Falcon's freight station to take wings on Nov 23

Kerala's first full-fledged container freight station (CFS) in the private sector, developed by Falcon Infrastructures Limited, will be operational from November 23.

The station has been set up at a cost of Rs 25 crore on 10.2 acres of land adjacent to the existing integrated service complex of the Falcon group at Kalamassery near Kochi. It will be inaugurated by state chief minister V S Achu-thanandan.

Addressing the media here on Tuesday, N A Moha-mmed Kutty, managing director of the group, said the CFS comes against the backdrop of Kochi's emergence as a major international maritime hub with Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), which is on the anvil.

The CFS has a 50,000-sft bonded warehousing facility, one of the largest in the country. The warehousing area would be enhanced to 150,000 sft in the next six months.

The close proximity of the station to the proposed rail and road links connecting ICTT to National Highway 47 and Kochi-Thrissur railway line is an added advantage, he added.

Besides, facilities for stuffing and de-stuffing and in-house customs clearances, it has facilities like computerised documentation, TV surveillance, fumigation, hotels, offices for agents, resting facilities for truck drivers, a bank, and a 100-tonne weigh bridge.

The group is expecting an annual turnover of Rs 10 crore during the first year of operation. "Initially, we hope to handle 1,200 TEUs on a monthly basis. Once the ICTT is operational, the turnover and volume are expected to go up manifold," he said.

Falcon is also planning to build similar integrated facilities at various other locations in the country. The group is in an advanced stage of setting up a special econ-omic zone (SEZ) exclusively for the services sector.

The zone will come up on 250 acres with the support of Container Corporation Limited and the Chennai-based Sical group.

The company will go for an IPO next year in order to mobilise Rs 500 crore for various diversification and expansion plans.

According to him, Fortknox Ventures, a sister concern of Falcon, has already approached the state government for a tourism-based SEZ, near the Kochi International airport, which will comprise farm tourism, floriculture, golf course, indoor stadium, hotels and ethnic villages.

Malayalam actor Mohanlal is heading the group as chairman. The group regis-tered a total turnover of Rs 21.2 crore during the last financial year.