KoPT to appoint consultant for Tajpur port's feasibility study

The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) on Thursday said it would likely float a tender to appoint a consultant for the feasibility study of the upcoming Tajpur port.

It also said that it registered 12 per cent growth in traffic handling during the April-September period of the current fiscal.

"The Kolkata Port handled 27.565 million tonnes (mt) of traffic in April to September of 2017-18 over 24.623 mt handled in the same period last year, recording a high growth of 12 per cent, much higher than the average growth rate of 3.24 per cent clocked by Indian major ports," KoPT Chairman Vinit Kumar told reporters here.

The Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) handled 19.124 mt in the first six months of 2017-18, registering a growth of 17.74 per cent over 16.242 mt handled in the corresponding period last year.

The Kolkata Dock System (KDS) handled cargo throughput of 8.441 mt in the first half of the current fiscal as against 8.381 mt in the corresponding period of the last fiscal.

He said the authority has made progress in terms of the proposed Tajpur project in East Midnapore district of West Bengal.

"We are moving forward for the Tajpur port and are going forward for the feasibility report. Probably, in the next 10-15 days, we will float the tender for appointing a consultant for the feasibility study," he said.

On the proposed Bhor Sagar Port, he said, "Tajpur port will come up in the first phase while Bhor Sagar port in the second phase."

The proposed Bhor Sagar Port in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district is a 74:26 per cent joint venture between KoPT and the state government.

According to Kumar, the special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the Bhor Sagar project would be the "implementing agency" for the Tajpur port for the "time being" because the SPV for Tajpur project has not been formed till now.

The SPV was supposed to take up deep sea port at Sagar but the studies have identified Tajpur as a better location in terms of viability.

Kumar also said the port has been dealing with issues related to draft and dredging.

Asked about future planning for growth, he said: "As far as the issues related to draft are concerned, in Haldia, we are moving out of the in-bounded dock and shifting the parking areas. We are creating terminals outside so that we can take care of the tidal restrictions to some extent. We have planned to create 15 mt of capacity."

The authority is also in the process of modernising and upgrading the existing railway network of Kolkata Dock System, which would lead to improved aggregation and evacuation of rail-borne cargo to and from the dock system, he said.

Kumar also said the port had spent around Rs 35 crore in the last two-three years and another Rs 15 crore would be spent this year for the improvement roads network.

According to him, a project has been taken up for laying a second line from the take off point of South Eastern Railway at Durgachak to Haldia Dock Complex rail system at a cost of Rs 105 crore and it is expected to be completed in one and a half year time.

In 2016-17, KoPT handled rail-borne traffic of 25.62 mt against 24.42 mt in 2015-16, registering a growth of five per cent.

--IANS

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