After committing investments on a new six million-tonne-per-annum steel plant, a captive power plant and a coal-to-liquid project in Orissa, Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) has evinced interest on setting up a captive port in Ganjam district of South Orissa. It involves a capital cost of Rs 1,424 crore. The first phase is scheduled to be operational by 2017. The location is 30 km south of the existing Gopalpur port and 18 km from Berhampur. JSPL recently made a presentation to the state commerce and transport department on the proposed port at the mouth of the Bahuda river, a perennial ore. The port does not require acquisition of farm land and there are no issues involved with nesting of the endangered Olive Ridley turtles in the area. “JSPL is keen on setting up a captive port at Bahuda Muhan. It has made a presentation on traffic requirement and other aspects of the port,” said Gagan Dhal, principal secretary (commerce & transport). The captive port will handle capesize vessels (150,000 or dwt) for coal and coke and Handymax vessels (50,000 dwt) for general cargo. During the first phase, the port will have two dedicated berths for handling coal and limestone and one berth for general cargo. The port is anticipated to handle about 33 million tonnes per annum of coal and other import items. Work on the second phase is set to begin after 2017, when the port will have three more general berths. The multiplier effects of the port include revenue from cargo handling, regional economic development, and employment generation, development of road and rail connectivity and acceleration of local economy as well as that of the state.
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I think, instead of going for another dedicated port, JSPL may use Gopalpur port which is in developing phase, if it is really serious about a captive port at Sonepur. Earlier also, Sonepur was in news for proposed Energy and Oil City. I don't know what had happened afterwards. So Ganjam and particularly Berhampur people have really fed up with so many announcements and proposals. Some of the examples are:i) Construction of a bypass from Jagannathpur to Ankushpur (announced again and again since last 20 years or so),ii) A supermarket by Saraf Agencies at a cost of 96 crores, iii. A science park near University by BDA, iv. City bus service, v. Second passenger halt for Railways, vi. Titanium dioxide factory at Chatrapur, vii. SEZ by Tatas, IIIT, viii. A campus of National Institute of Design... so on and so forth. So it is time to sustain the existing resources and not to announce anything unless the same is concrete proposal.
ReplyDeletePrabhash N. Rath
I think, instead of going for another dedicated port, JSPL may use Gopalpur port which is in developing phase, if it is really serious about a captive port at Sonepur. Earlier also, Sonepur was in news for proposed Energy and Oil City. I don't know what had happened afterwards. So Ganjam and particularly Berhampur people have really fed up with so many announcements and proposals. Some of the examples are:i) Construction of a bypass from Jagannathpur to Ankushpur (announced again and again since last 20 years or so),ii) A supermarket by Saraf Agencies at a cost of 96 crores, iii. A science park near University by BDA, iv. City bus service, v. Second passenger halt for Railways, vi. Titanium dioxide factory at Chatrapur, vii. SEZ by Tatas, IIIT, viii. A campus of National Institute of Design... so on and so forth. So it is time to sustain the existing resources and not to announce anything unless the same is concrete proposal.
ReplyDeletePrabhash N. Rath