PARADIP: A seven-km stretch of the coastline near Paradip will be developed as a Blue Flag beach to attract more tourists to the port town, said chief secretary Anu Garg on Friday.
On a one-day visit to Paradip, Garg said the proposed Blue Flag beach is expected to redefine tourism sector in the region. In the first phase, a 3-km stretch of the coastline will be developed as Blue Flag beach by September. “Once completed, the Paradip Blue Flag beach is expected to become a milestone in the tourism sector, attracting domestic and international tourists. The development is likely to create direct and indirect livelihood opportunities for local residents,” she said.
Garg held a detailed discussion in this connection with district officials at the Paradip Lighthouse beach.
Later in the day, the chief secretary visited Paradip Port and interacted with the port officials as well as representatives of IFFCO, PPL, JSW and IOCL plants. She said the state government’s initiative to develop an economic corridor linking Puri, Paradip and Bhubaneswar will mark a new phase in growth and development of the port town. The government has also outlined a broader vision for overall development of Paradip, including the establishment of an economic zone.
Garg emphasised the need for double-digit growth driven by exports, shipbuilding and port-led development, highlighting Odisha’s coastline as a strategic advantage. She underscored the importance of the ‘Paradip Port 2.0’ vision, including capacity expansion beyond 500 MTPA, western dock deepening and development of a dedicated green hydrogen berth. Discussions also covered the proposed 150 MTPA Bahuda port in Ganjam district and a 1.2 million GT capacity shipbuilding and ship repair cluster north of Mahanadi river in Kendrapara.
These projects, to be developed through a special purpose vehicle between Odisha government and Paradip Port Authority, are expected to significantly strengthen the state’s maritime economy. Development of a cruise terminal at Puri was also discussed, with emphasis on priority implementation. Among others, Jagatsinghpur collector J Sonal, SP Ankit Verma and other officials were present.