Centre won't mind if Bengal develops Tajpur port on its own: Shipping minister Mansukh Mandaviya

West Bengal is free to decide if it wants to develop the Tajpur Deep Sea port on its own and the government will lend its support, the shipping ministry said on Friday.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier announced that the state was planning to develop the port alone on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model after delays by the Centre.

Responding to a question, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya said the Centre will lend its support to the state government if it wants to build the proposed port on its own.

"It will serve our nation only whether it is developed by state or Centre," Mandaviya told reporters at a news conference on 150th year celebration of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT).

The Tajpur project is crucial for long term viability of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), which is a riverine port and faces perennial draft problem that prevents large carriers from entering the port.

The Tajpur Port is expected to offer 16 metre draft against a maximum of 8.5 meters depth available for KoPT docks.

The KoPT in the past had said there will be a major impact on the port if the Tajpur project becomes operational.

In the past, a deep sea port was proposed at Sagar and a special purpose vehicle was created in which the state government was holding 26 per cent. But the project got scrapped over its viability.

The KoPT was also carrying out a feasibility study on the Tajpur port.

Meanwhile, a dedicated cruise terminal will be built at Khidderpore and initial work would be done by the port before handing the project to a private operator to development and management.