BERHAMPUR: AT a time when the State wants to develop cargo handling capacity of its existing ports including the Gopalpur Port, Ganjam’s wait for two new minor ports has been lingering for almost a decade.
In the Assembly last month, Commerce & Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera while replying to a query made by BJD MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik had stated that the State Government plans to set up 12 new minor ports including two minor ports at Palur and Bahuda in Ganjam district. However, the decision is not a new one.
The Commerce & Transport Department had announced it a decade back but ever since then, there has been no headway into the project. In 2009, the department had identified 14 potential sites including Palur in Ganjam block and Bahuda in Chikiti block, both under Ganjam district, for development of minor ports under Indian Ports Act.
Two years later in 2011, Centre asked the State Government to identify land for opening of a new port and a ship manufacturing unit, but the latter is yet to decide on it. The Centre had planned to set up the new ports in the 12th Five Year Plan with an estimated investment between `18,000 crore and `20,000 crore to create capacity for handling around 3,200 MT of cargo through sea route.
Odisha Government engaged WAPCOS, a Central Government undertaking consultancy company, to make a detailed pre-techno economic feasibility study for the project. The firm found Bahuda Muhana, where the coast length is about 20 to 30 km and 2,000 acre back-up land is available, suitable for the project. The study report was submitted to the State Government in 2012 and cost of the proposed port was `3,454 crore. The proposed site has potential to handle crude oil vessel of 3,00,000 DWT (deadweight tonnage) capacity. The Paradip Port Trust (PPT) had expressed interest to develop a satellite port near Bahuda Muhana, which is located at a distance of 30 km south from Gopalpur port and 18 km from Berhampur. Apart from PPT, proposals for Bahuda Muhana were received from Maytas Infra, Good Earth Maritime of Chennai, Sadhab Shipping of Mumbai and Hyderabad-based Sri Avantika Construction.
Similarly, the mini port project at Palur also found takers in Chennai-based Marg, Bangalore-based Future Metals and the Indian Infrastructure Corporation of Indore. This project, too, is yet to move beyond the official files.
The MPs of Southern and Western Odisha in the last Lok Sabha had urged the State Government to expedite the proposals for setting up new ports but no step has been taken in this regard yet.
Member of Citizens Forum, Sudhanshu Pati, Dakhin Odisha Forum member Gouri Shankar Patra and district unit president of BJP Kanhu Charan Patio in a joint memorandum to the Centre and State have urged for economic development of the region through opening of new ports.