Plan to convert top 12 ports into green ports: Govt

The government today said a plan will be prepared in the next four months to convert the 12 major ports in the country into green ports.
"We are committed to convert our ports into green ports. We have hired a consultant to come out with a plan in next four months for various ports," Shipping Secretary Rajive Kumar said.
Massive plantation work has already been done in the vicinity of major ports, he said while addressing the media here after the culmination of a cleanliness drive at ports as part of the Shipping Ministry's year-long 'Swachhta Abhiyan'.
Over 65,000 trees were planted during the campaign, besides setting up of solar lights at 93 light houses. The ports will generate 163 MW clean energy.

India has 12 major ports -- Kandla, Mumbai, JNPT, Marmugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, V O Chidambaranar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia) which handle approximately 61 per cent of the country's total cargo traffic.
The ministry also celebrated Swachh Bharat Pakhwada from March 16 to March 31, 2017 and has undertaken various activities under this campaign.

The cleanliness drive by the ministry was launched by Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2, 2014 to urge people to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi's vision of a clean India, by his 150th birth anniversary in 2019.

The Ministry of Shipping and all organisations under it had launched a year long drive for cleanliness as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan.
A 22-point agenda was agreed upon for ports and PSUs that included cleaning of wharfs and sheds, repair of sheds, auction and disposal of all unserviceable items and unclaimed goods, painting with uniform colour code of all signages and boards, beautification and cleaning of parks, modernising all toilet complexes, placing dustbins at regular intervals, boards indicating cleanliness messages besides do's and don'ts.
The Swachh Bharat Pakhwada was a culmination of the year long efforts of the Ministry, the ports and other organisations like DG Shipping, SCI, Dredging Corporation of India, Cochin Shipyard Limited, Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships, to spread cleanliness at their premises.

The activities taken up during this period included weeding out of about 10,000 old files, a drive for digitalisation of files, disposal of all obsolete articles, renovation of rooms, toilets and providing pure and clean drinking water to all employees.