BHUBANESWAR/PARADIP : The State government has decided to expedite the process for setting up the proposed Mahanadi riverine port in Kendrapara district.This all-weather and multi-user port on Mahanadi river will be set up on PPP mode with a capacity of 54 million tonne per annum (MTPA) and estimated cost of `4,062 crore, of which 22 MTPA capacity will be created in the first phase at a cost of `2,562 crore.
Official sources said the Ministry of Port, Shipping and Waterways has agreed to the State government’s proposal for the riverine port to be developed by Paradip Port Trust (PPT) for which the formal memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government is under finalisation. The port will come up at Akhadasali village in Kendrapara’s Mahakalapada block, 13 km from the river mouth at Paradip. The PPT will develop the supporting project infrastructure like rail and road connectivity and dredging requirements of the port. The government has identified 300 hectare of land for the project for which it will also provide necessary support to PPT in respect of any additional requirement of land.
The government had decided to go ahead with the project in 2018 and issued a request for quote (RFQ). However, the project could not progress due to lack of interest by potential bidders. PPT then evinced interest in the project and consequently, the MoU is proposed to be signed with the government.
Officials maintained that the port will create direct and indirect employment opportunities for more than 4,000 persons in the first phase and another 1,700 in the second phase after commissioning. The riverine port along with the State-aided Haridaspur-Paradip railway line will go a long way in boosting the economy of Kendrapara district.
As per the direction of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, a high-level team from the government led by Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy along with 5T Secretary VK Pandian and Special Secretary in Commerce and Transport department Manoj Mishra visited the proposed project site on Sunday. PPT chairperson Rinkesh Roy and other officials accompanied them from Paradip.Mahakalapada MLA Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak was present at the proposed port site and had a discussion with officials about the project. Kendrapara Collector Samarth Verma and his Jagatsinghpur counterpart Saroj Mishra also participated in the discussion.