Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has said that the government would provide the requisite funds for construction of a new port at Sagar Island in West Bengal Maritime trade in the eastern region is set to receive a fillip with the construction of a deepwater port at Sagar Island in West Bengal. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said while presenting the Union Budget 2010-11 that Bengal is in need of another port and the government will provide the funds required for building the same at Sagar Island.
Blessing for Bengal
The announcement of the government has send cheers among shipping firms, which believe that the new port will generate more business opportunities for them. In this context, Benoy Krishna Dey, senior manager of Tara Marine Syndicate, a small-sized shipping firm in Kolkata says, “The new port will be a blessing for Bengal considering the abysmal condition of the Haldia port. Over the years, vessels have shied away from using Kolkata Port Trust’s (KoPT) services because of the prevailing situation in Haldia. We hope with the coming up of the new port, good days will return for KoPT.”
 The announcement is also significant considering the fact that cargo traffic handled by Haldia port declined by 22.3% in January 2010, as compared to the corresponding period last year. KoPT has long been proposing to construct a port at Sagar Island on a public-private partnership (PPP) model for easy navigation of ships and cargoes whose movement had been affected due to a drop in depth of the navigation channel leading to the Haldia Port. As per KoPT’s proposal, the port would have 8-10 berths, which would initially handle bulk cargoes such as coal, fertilisers and iron ore, among others. In fact 15 companies had even shown interest in the project.
“The government must ensure that proper connectivity to the port is developed. This is important for quick clearance of cargoes,” says Partho Pratim Basu, managing director of Inschape Marine Services, a mid-sized shipping firm in Kolkata. It is estimated that the project would require investment worth Rs 3,500 crore.
Arup Choudhury |
