PARADIP: Investments worth a whopping Rs 70 lakh crore will be made in all ports of India by 2047 under the Amrit Kaal initiative and Maritime India Vision, said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi here on Friday.
Speaking at a function, organised by Paradip Port Authority to mark Boita Bandana and Port Day, he said the investments will elevate Odisha’s position on the global platform. The function began with the chief minister hoisting the port flag and performing traditional rituals at the wet basin of the port. He then flagged off a colourfully decorated Boita (boat) manned by ‘Sadhavas’ dressed in traditional attire. Seven employees of the port’s Marine department were dressed as Sadhavas, while seven students from a local school played the role of their spouses.
Majhi said while most festivals of Odisha are rooted in religious sentiments, Boita Bandana and Balijatra celebrate the state’s ancient commercial history. The chief minister later inaugurated the LPG pipeline project of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) in Paradip town. The project will benefit 7,000 households. He also laid the foundation for a bridge which will be constructed for Rs 24.89 crore.
He then launched a piped gas project implemented by Paradip Port Authority in association with BPCL to fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘PNG for every house, safe fuel, and a better life’. The project envisages supplying PNG to households at 40 per cent lower cost. Majhi also laid the foundation of a three-lane, 500-metre-long bridge designed for heavy vehicles, at an estimated cost of Rs 24.89 crore.
The chief minister said a sizable chunk of minerals from his constituency, Keonjhar, is exported through Paradip port. Additionally, he announced plans for connecting Talcher to Kalinga Nagar via National Waterways, linked to Paradip Port, at an investment of Rs 15,000 crore. Chairman of PPA PL Haranadh hoped to increase the port’s capacity to 500 million metric tonne by 2047.
The event was attended by Industries minister Sampad Chandra Swain, Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai, collector J Sonal and DIG (Central Range) Charan Singh Meena.