Centre developing 6 major ports: MoS for Shipping Mansukh Mandavia

Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh Mandavia. (Source: PTI/File)

UNION MINISTER of State for Shipping Mansukh Mandavia said on Wednesday that the central government is developing six new major ports across the country.

The ports will come up at Vadhavan in Maharashtra, Belekeri in Karnataka, Enayam and Sirkazhi in Tamil Nadu and Paradip Outer Harbour in Odisha. The sites were chosen under the shipping ministry’s port modernisation plan Sagarmala, under which a cargo traffic scenario study was conducted.

Mandavia, who was on a day-long visit to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, said the country’s port sector has recorded positive growth since the BJP government came to power in 2014. “In this Budget, we have allocated Rs 7 lakh crore towards shipping infrastructure. In the future, we hope to invest Rs 10 lakh crore. Countries with good shipping infrastructure experience strong growth,” he added.

Mandavia said that by 2025, the government plans to double the cargo handling in ports across the country. Of the ports under development, the Centre plans to invest Rs 4,000 core in developing Belekeri port in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district and build an industrial corridor in Mangalore, Hubli and Dharwad to supplement the port.

In Maharashtra, JNPT is develpoing Vadhavan port in Dahanu taluka. The port will require reclaiming of 5,000 acres from the sea, a project that is witnessing opposition from locals.