Commissioning of the ambitious project of international container transhipment terminal at Vallarpadam, Kochi will be delayed at least by three months, the Pioneer reported.

The delay is due to the inability of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to complete the construction of the road linkage to port area in time but experts said it would in effect serve as a breather for Dubai Port World, a subsidiary of crisis-ridden Dubai World and developer of the project.

Union Shipping Sscretary K Mohandas said that the commissioning of the container terminal project would not be possible as per the original schedule due to the non-completion of the two-lane road to the project area. On December 28, Mohandas had said in Kochi that the construction of the terminal would be complete by March and the project could be commissioned in April.

The NHAI had informed the Union Shipping Department, Kerala Government and the Cochin Port Trust that the construction of the road link would not be complete before May as it needed more time to execute the works over marshy terrain. Mohandas said that the highway authority had promised to complete the works by May and that the project could be commissioned in June.