‘Prioritise Sagarmala plans  with focus on community’

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday called for close coordination among departments for timely completion of projects under Sagarmala. Chairing the first meeting the of State Sagarmala Committee, the Chief Minister directed departments concerned to prioritise projects with a focus on the development of coastal community. “In addition to our strategic advantage of long coastline, the Sagarmala project can further enable Odisha to emerge as a major logistics destination. We will also be prioritising the coastal community development as an integrated part of this initiative,” he said.

Patnaik said the port-led development through industrialisation and connectivity is a major focus of Sagarmala projects. “We have a rich cultural heritage of maritime trade. We can become India’s gateway to South East Asian countries,” he added. Apart from Paradip port, the government has been facilitating the development of various ports all along the coastline. The State Maritime Board is expected to be fully functional in the coming months and hopefully, it will act as a catalyst for overall development of the maritime sector in the State.

Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanava Behera said the programme aims at port-led development and improvement of waterways. Chief Secretary SC Mahapatra said all departments need to prepare projects under the Central guidelines and maximise project approval.  Principal Secretary of Commerce and Transport Madhusudan Padhi said four ports including Subarnarekha, Astaranga, riverine port at Kendrapara and Jatadhari muhan port are in the pipeline and there are eight potential locations for development of ports.

The government has submitted 14 projects of various departments including Fisheries and Animal Resources Development, Chilika Development Authority, Commerce and Transport and Works departments under Sagarmala. Out of these, two projects of Commerce and Transport department, ro-pax jetty and allied infrastructure in Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balugaon and Puri have been sanctioned by the Centre, he added.Idco CMD Sanjay Singh said three logistic park projects at Dhamra, Gopalpur and Subarnarekha are under preparation. The proposals will be sent soon, he added.

Scheme details
Sagarmala project aims at port modernisation, connectivity,port-led industrialisation and coastal community development. The projects under this programme will get 50 per cent funding from the Centre.