KoPT to sign Rs 250cr agreement with Jindal ITF

Kolkata Port Trust is set to sign a Rs 250 crore agreement with Jindal ITF early next week for creating transloading infrastructure at Kanika Sands that will boost additional cargo of 5-6 million tonnes for the riverine port.
"We will sign the agreement with Jindal ITF for the facility costing Rs 250 crore, early next week," KoPT Chairman RPS Kahlon said here today on the sidelines of Bengal Chamber organised interactive session on transloading.
The investment would be from Jindal ITF and they would charge the users for the service, but KoPT would not levy any charge for transloading, to attract cargo.

He said the infrastructure would be in place by December 2015 that would help boost in dry bulk cargo inflow into Haldia as those were getting diverted to neighbouring ports of Paradip and Dhamra, matching the cost.
Kahlon said, "we are trying to keep the cost at Rs 1000 or below per tonne of cargo from Kanika Sands to Haldia."
With the strategy and infrastructure in place, KoPT expects 5-6 million tonnes additional cargo in the first year of operation.

Kahlon said total cargo from transloading by 2019-20 would be about 25 million tonnes. KoPT would operate transloading at Kanika Sand and Sandhead for six months each to make it feasible around the year.

Apart from transloading, KoPT was aiming to become competitive to the extent possible by reducing port charge cost on users.
"Currently, the cost to users for Haldia is about Rs 350 per tonne for cargo brought in current system, but over a period of 8-12 months, we will bring the same to Rs 250 a tonne with the help of mechanisation," Kahlon said.