Government pushes Rs. 20,000cr port projects

The Ministry of Shipping has decided to award 28 port projects worth Rs. 20,214 crore in the current fiscal. The projects include a Rs 1,407 crore container terminal at Ennore, a Rs 312 crore container terminal at Tuticorin, Rs 277 crore iron ore handling facility at New Mangalore, Rs 252 crore berth development to handle bulk cargo at Mormugao, Rs 755 crore multipurpose cargo berth at Kandla, a Rs 55 crore liquid cargo berth and a Rs 114 crore dry cargo handling facility, both at Vizag.

The Shipping ministry sources added that it is keen on meeting its target for which it was to award 19 projects worth Rs 15,443 crore in the fiscal. These include two projects worth Rs. 150 crore in Kolkata with a capacity of eight million tons per annum and two other projects for Rs. 62 crore at Paradip port. These projects were to mechanize the handling facilities. In totality projects worth Rs. 387 crore at Paradip, five involving investment of Rs. 927 crore at Vizag, two of Rs. 1,374 crore at Kandla and Rs. 75 crore cargo terminal at Mumbai.

Apart from this, the government would also award container terminal development worth Rs. 12,305 crore for three ports in Tamil Nadu, one in Karnataka and two at JNPT in Navi Mumbai. This also include one new Rs. 6,700 crore container terminal at JNPT, two of Rs. 600 crore and Rs. 3,686 crore at Chennai. In addition, Rs.1, 407 crore port projects are planed for Ennore, Rs. 1,000 crore terminal at New Mangalore and also Rs. 319 crore projects at Tuticorin. These projects will be developed under the National Maritime Development Programme (NMDP), which has listed 276 projects covering the entire gamut including construction, deepening of channels, rails, roads, equipment up-gradation and modernization, they added.