Karnataka plans new port at Honnavar for Rs 600 crore

To build permanent wall along coastline for Rs 950 crore with assistance from Asian Development Bank to prevent sea erosion

The Karnataka government proposes to develop a new port under the public private partnership (PPP) model at a cost of Rs 600 crore at Honnavar. The government will lay the foundation stone for the port during the second week of November.

According to Baburao Chinchansoor, state minister for textiles, the government has received another proposal from Jindal for setting up a captive port at an investment of Rs 500 crore. The proposal is under the consideration of the state government, he said at a conference of state ministers of textiles in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The state government plans to build a protection wall along the coastline in the state at a cost of Rs 950 crore with the Asian Development Bank assistance to provide permanent protection against recurring sea erosion every year. The wall is being built at places like Ullal in Dakshina Kannada district, for which tenders have been floated, he said.

The state government has taken up immediate sea erosion protection works from its own funds.

The government will also resume works on the construction of additional fishing jetties from November this year, he said.

The government has planned to take up many new schemes under Inland Water Transportation department and purchase latest mechanised boats, build proper shelters for public use, Chinchansoor said. He said the formation of Maritime Board would be done after the President accords his assent to the Bill passed earlier by the state legislative Assembly.

The minister said the central government had sanctioned a special textile package of Rs 1,000 crore to Karnataka for immediate upliftment of nine spinning mills. Under the revised plan, the loans of these mills will be converted into equity shares.

A grant of Rs 10 crore has been sanctioned to the Doddaballapur integrated park. It has been planned to set up new textile parks and skill development centres in the state.

The minimum wages of poor weavers will be increased from Rs 120 per month to Rs 200 per month. An international standard textile park will be established at Yadgir district.

Chinchanasoor also urged Union textiles minister Kavuru Sambasiva Rao to sanction skill development centres at Yadgir and Gulbarga as promised by the Centre recently.