PM lays foundation for new container terminal in Mumbai

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the fourth container terminal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) here on Sunday.

The terminal, to be developed on a design, build, fund, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis for a concession period of 30 years, will come up at an estimated cost of Rs.7,915 crore.

At the event, Modi was accompanied by Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and union Minister for Shipping Nitin Gadkari, among others.

The JNPT handles about 40 percent of India's container traffic and ranks 31 among top 100 container ports globally, an official said.

The new container terminal will be constructed by Messrs Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of the Port of Singapore Authority.

The project will be taken up in two phases of Rs.4,719 crore and Rs.3,196 crore and add 2.4 million TEUS container-handling-capacity in each phase.

Besides, JNPT is developing a port-based SEZ on 277 hectares land with an estimated investment of around Rs.4,000 crore which would generate around 150,000 jobs for the locals.

With a view to solve the problems of congestion on the connecting roads, JNPT will widen three state and national highways into six- or eight-lane links on the entire 44 km length at a cost of Rs.2,936 crore.