Shipping ministry plans Rs 3,000-cr projects for KoPT

Three projects, with a combined investment of at least Rs 3,000 crore, have been envisaged by the Union shipping ministry in an effort to secure the future of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), which has been struggling in recent months as major navigational channels have seen depths falling due to siltation.

“Since the draught problem does not allow large ships to come into the port, we will create a container terminal at Diamond Harbour and an extension of the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) at Salukhali. We also propose to establish a 'deeper-draught' port near Sagar (Island), for which a committee has already been constituted,” Union minister of state for shipping Mukul Roy said here on Tuesday.

KoPT officials said that the Diamond Harbour facility and the Haldia Dock II, at Salukhali, was expected to cost about Rs 300 crore and Rs 580 crore, respectively, however, the exact cost was yet to be ascertained. But Roy said that he expected both of these to be functional by 2011-end.

The 'deeper-draught' port, on the other hand, is likely to be executed on a public-private-partnership model and, sources said, will require a cumulative investment upwards of Rs 2,000 crore.

As for the funding of these projects, Roy said that budgetary sanctions were in place but refused to give any specifics. Meanwhile, Railway minister Mamata Banerjee has promised to look into extending rail connectivity to the three proposed projects and KoPT chairman ML Meena is to meet Railway board officials later this week, Roy said. Both Banerjee and Roy are part of the Trinamool Congress, which is led by the former.

In the past, the CPI(M)-led West Bengal government had backed the proposal to establish a deep-sea port in the state and had invited private participation. But, so far, the endeavour has been unsuccessful.

Unsurprisingly, Roy said that the proposed 'deep-draught' port would be separate from the 'deep-sea' port mooted by the government and even went on to promise that “no forceful land acquisition would be undertaken by the Shipping Ministry.”