Kolkata Port Trust draws up Nayachar island for future survival strategy

Faces threat from two new ports; will cut a channel across Nayachar to feed water to Haldia port

Faced with stiff competition on the eastern shores once two ports — Subarnarekha and Tajpur — are commissioned, the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), which operates the ports in Kolkata and Haldia, is heavily banking on its Naychar island plan for survival.
 
Although Kolkata and Haldia ports handle major cargo movements, which feed the eastern hinterland, these riverine ports face the perennial problem of siltation, which narrows their draft (the distance between the water surface and the bottom of the ship’s hull). Not only does it imply huge dredging costs, it results in preventing larger ships from accessing these ports.