Thiruvanathapuram: With the Latin Catholic Church softening their rigid stand against the proposed seaport project, the quarter-century-old Vizhinjam dream is all set to call on the state.

The state government will sign the concession agreement for the `7,525 crore port project with the Adani Group on Monday.

Ports Minister K Babu on Sunday termed it the next big project after the Idukki dam and the Cochin International Airport that was hapenning in the state. The LDF would stay away from the signing ceremony, protesting the terms and conditions of the concession agreement.

The ceremony is scheduled to be held at the Durbar Hall, Secretariat at 5 p.m. James Varghese, Principal Secretary (Ports), will sign the agreement on behalf of the state government and Santosh Mohapatra, CEO, Adani Vizhinjam Ports Pvt Ltd, will sign on behalf of the Adani Group.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, ministers and top officials including the Chief Secretary will be present on the occasion, The New Indian Express reported.

The Adani Group will be represented by a team led by group chairman Gautam Adani. The group will have a concession on the port for 40 years, after which there is an option for extending it for another 20. According to the agreement, the construction is to be completed in four years, but the Adani Group has announced that it can be completed in two years.

Construction, according to the state government, would begin on November 1, Keralappiravi Day. The Vizhinjam port is designed to handle cargo vessels of 18,000 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent or the approximate size of a cargo container).

The government will sign the agreement with the Adani Group despite stiff Opposition from the LDF, which has decided to boycott Monday’s ceremony. An-all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to iron out differences had proven inconclusive.

The LDF leaders have stuck to their stand that the terms and conditions of the agreement are detrimental to the state’s interests.

Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan said on Sunday that it was essentially a real estate deal and port development enjoyed only secondary importance.