Govt to award Rs 20,000-cr port projects

The ministry of shipping is planning to award 28 projects worth Rs 20,214 crore in 2009-10.

These include nine projects which were supposed to be awarded in 2008-09, worth Rs 4,244 crore, according to a senior official. These comprise construction of deep draft berths at Paradip port for iron ore and coal. The cost would be Rs 591 crore and Rs 479 crore, respectively. Other 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 official added the ministry is keen on meeting its target, which was to award 19 projects worth Rs 15,443 crore in 2009-10. Four have already been awarded and the ministry has called for request for qualification (RFQ) for the others. These four are two projects worth Rs 150 crore in Kolkata with a capacity of eight million tonnes per annum and two other projects for Rs 62 crore at Paradip port. These projects were to mechanise the handling facilities.

In all for 2009-10, there are projects worth Rs 387 crore at Paradip, five projects worth Rs 927 crore in Vizag, two worth Rs 1,374 crore in Kandla and a Rs 75 crore cargo terminal at Mumbai.

The ministry would also award container terminal developments worth Rs 12,305 crore for three ports at Tamil Nadu, one in Karnataka and two at JNPT, Navi Mumbai. These are for one new Rs 6,700 crore container terminal at JNPT, and another there for Rs 600 crore, a Rs 3,686 crore one at Chennai, a 1,407 crore one at Ennore, a Rs 1,000 crore terminal at New Mangalore and a Rs 319 crore one at Tuticorin.

All these projects will be developed under the National Maritime Development Programme (NMDP), which lists 276 projects covering the entire gamut of activity from construction/upgradation of berths, deepening of channels, rail/road connectivity projects, equipment upgradation/modernisation schemes to other related schemes in the period uptill 2011-12.