The Kerala government has initiated preliminary efforts to establish a network of logistics parks in Vizhinjam and its neighboring areas, aimed at supporting businesses linked to the international transshipment port set to open next month.

Awareness campaigns are being organized in local communities, including Venganoor, to educate residents about the project’s benefits, job potential, and regional development opportunities.

Spanning 600 acres across Vizhinjam, Venganoor, and Balaramapuram, the logistics parks will be developed following the state government's approval of a logistics park policy. Approximately 600 hectares will be acquired from the area using a land pooling facility.

To minimize resistance to land acquisition, awareness programs will help residents understand the advantages of land pooling, according to a source. Although the government plans to establish regulations for the project, including land acquisition processes, this is expected to take time.

Land pooling aims to maximize benefits for landowners, with the stipulation that land will not be acquired unless 70% of property owners consent. The logistics park will enhance private businesses’ ability to transport goods to and from Vizhinjam port, facilitated by road and the proposed rail connection from Balaramapuram railway station.

Additionally, the government is constructing a 629-km coastal highway connecting Vizhinjam with Kollam and Kasaragod. An official confirmed that the Vizhinjam-Kazhakootam stretch will soon be developed into a logistics corridor.

Currently, the port operates as a ship-to-ship transshipment facility, where containers from larger vessels are transferred to feeder ships for transport to other ports across the country. Once the rail and highway connections are operational, containers will also be moved via trains and trucks.

Sources noted that the region will only realize its potential once containers are efficiently transported from the port via land. The logistics park will enable businesses to process goods offloaded from ships, as well as manage goods sourced from other locations for shipping. This development is anticipated to create numerous ancillary business opportunities, prompting government support for the logistics park.