Ports expansion plan of Rs 90K cr on cards

142 expansion projects worth Rs 90K cr have been identified for major ports and timely delivery will give the much needed boost to economy, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has said a blueprint of 142 expansion projects has been finalised to modernise 12 major ports and develop new harbours at a cost of about Rs 90,000 crore. These 12 ports under the administrative control of the Centre saw a growth of 3.24 per cent in cargo to 326.4 million tonne (MT) in the April-September period this fiscal as against 316.1 MT in the corresponding period last fiscal.

"A master plan for modernisation of the 12 ports besides development of new ports has been finalised. These ports are growth catalysts of modern India," Shipping, Road, Transport, Highways and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Nitin Gadkari told PTI. Gadkari said a total of 142 expansion projects worth more than Rs 90,000 crore have been identified for these ports and timely delivery of projects will give the much needed boost to the economy, besides shaping Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of new India.

"Out of the 142 identified expansion projects, 57 projects are under implementation and one has been completed," he said. India has 12 major ports, namely Kandla, Mumbai, JNPT, Mormugao, 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 April-September figures of the cargo at 12 major ports show that the highest growth was registered by Cochin Port (19.62 per cent), followed by Kolkata, New Mangalore.