Govt plans 4 new major port projects worth Rs 32k cr

Government plans to set up four new major ports at Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh at an investment of Rs 32,000 crore under PPP model.

"Four new major ports are proposed at Colachel, Tamil Nadu (at an estimated cost of Rs 6,000 crore approx), Dahanu, Maharashtra (Rs 9,000 crore approx), Sagar Island, West Bengal (Rs 11,000 crore approx) Dugarajapatnam, Andhra Pradesh (Rs 6,000 crore approx)," Minister of State for Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan said in a written reply to Lok Sabha today.

These projects are proposed to be taken up through combination of public and private investment, he said.

In addition, outer harbour projects are proposed to be taken up in VOC port at Tuticorin at an expenditure of about Rs 11,000 crore and Paradip, Odisha at Rs 5,000 crore approx, he said.

Apart from 12 major ports, which are under the control of the centre, there are about 200 non-major ports under the control of the respective maritime state governments, he said.

The overall capacity of operational non-major ports is 658.71 million tonnes and major ports capacity is 871.52 million tonnes as on March 31, 2015, he said.