Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, expressed the hope that Kandla Port in Kutch district of Gujarat and Chabahar Port in Iran will script a new development cooperation in the region.
Dedicating to the nation a number of projects worth a total of Rs.966 crore at Kandla, he said this port will be directly linked with Chabahar, making it an important port in Asia handling both dry and liquid cargo. He also lauded the work done by Union Shipping and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, who was also present, for his efficient handling of this sector.
The new projects undertaken at Kandla are part of the ambitious Sagarmala Project encompassing the 7,500-km-long coastline of India. Coastal transportation of goods and trade will be cheaper than by roads, he said. Developed ports are necessary for India’s recognition as a global economic power.
Modi recalled how Kutch, through its resilience, was back on its feet after the 1998 super-cyclone and the 2001 earthquake. Gujarat has had a rich maritime tradition since the last 5,000 years, as depicted by the ancient Lothal port (near Ahmedabad), where a maritime museum is proposed. The Gujarat Assembly has also passed a bill to set up a maritime university.
The year 2017 being the birth centenary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, founder of Jana Sangh, predecessor of BJP, Kandla Portshould be renamed as “Deendayal Port Trust, Kandla,” he suggested.
In his address, Gadkari said the Sagarmala Project envisaged development of 12 major and 20 minor and private ports along India’s coastline at an investment of Rs 6 lakh crore. Implementation of 239 projects worth Rs. 1.37 lakh crore is in progress, which included 40 projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore in Gujarat alone. A Smart City is also proposed for Kandla, to be developed at an investment of Rs.10,000 crore. It will create 10,000 direct jobs and another 40,000 potential jobs.
Besides, he said, the government has decided to allow fishermen’s trawlers to sail deep into the sea up to 30 to 40 nautical miles, unlike 11 nautical miles now, and set up fishermen’s harbours at Veraval and Mangrol in Gujarat.