Minister lists details of Rs.76,220cr project
The Rajya Sabha has been updated on the Rs.76,220 crore “deep–draft port”, officially known as Vadhavan Port, is being developed as an all-weather greenfield deep-draft major port in Palghar district of Maharashtra. Upon completion, the port is expected to create a total cargo handling capacity of 298 million metric tonnes per annum.
Vadhavan Port is expected to significantly improve Maharashtra’s maritime infrastructure, trade competitiveness, logistics efficiency, industrial development and employment generation, the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, said in a written reply to the house on 4 Aug.
He elaborated on the port’s progress:
Project/Component and Estimated Cost
1 – Nearshore reclamation and shore protection works – cost Rs.1,648 crore;
2 – Construction of 10.14 km Breakwater – cost Rs.5,301.26 crore;
3 – Offshore reclamation under PPP-HAM – cost Rs.20,647 crore;
4 – Dedicated Road Connectivity by NHAI (32.74 km) – Rs.2,528.76 crore;
5 – Dedicated Rail Connectivity by Western Railway (22.22 km) – cost Rs.1,765 crore;
6 – Water Supply Infrastructure – cost Rs.328 crore;
7 – Power Supply Infrastructure – cost Rs.320 crore.
The Minister also gave details of other projects undertaken for modernisation and port connectivity in Maharashtra:
1 – Construction of Third Chemical Berth at Pir Pau – cost Rs.161 crore;
2 – Development of New Fish Jetty at Mallet Bunder Fishing Harbour – Rs.96.60 crore;
3 – Modernization, Development, Operation and Maintenance of Mumbai International Cruise Terminal (MICT) at Indira Dock – cost Rs.363.85 crore;
4 – SCADA and PLC Automation System at Marine Oil Terminal – cost Rs.22.77 crore;
5 – Construction of approach road to Kharwadeshwari Jetty in Palghar District – cost Rs.15.00 crore;
6 – Construction of approach road to Narangi Jetty – cost Rs.29.41 crore;
7 – Augmentation of firefighting facilities at Pir Pau Terminal of Mumbai Port – cost Rs.52.69 crore.
The efforts made by the Government towards modernisation, mechanisation, capacity augmentation and connectivity enhancement at Major Ports in Maharashtra have resulted in increase in overall capacity to 175.87 MMTPA for Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and 88.66 MMTPA for Mumbai Port Authority, he told the house.
In respect of non-major ports, investments have been made by the respective State Government, private port operators and the cumulative cargo handling capacities of Maharashtra’s other than Major Ports have reached 130.75 MMTPA.
These initiatives are expected to strengthen India’s EXIM trade, improve logistics efficiency through enhanced road and rail connectivity, promote coastal shipping, reduce dependence on foreign transshipment ports, facilitate development of port-based industries and logistics infrastructure, and generate substantial direct and indirect employment opportunities, said Sonowal.
The Government has assessed the requirement of a deep-draft port considering the projected growth in India’s cargo and container traffic, particularly on the western coast, he said. fiinews.com
