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During a visit to the Paradip Port Authority (PPA) in Odisha on Monday, the Secretary of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for several developmental projects totaling more than Rs 13 crore.
Among the new initiatives, the Secretary inaugurated the Trauma and Burn Care (TBC) Centre in the newly constructed Annex building of the Paradip Port Hospital. Constructed at a cost of Rs 2.90 crore, the centre will offer curative and rehabilitative services for trauma and burn victims in the Paradip area.
The Secretary also laid the foundation stone for a Water Treatment Plant at PPA. This project, costing Rs 10.50 crore, will draw raw water from the Taldanda Canal and has a filtration capacity of 16 million litres per day. It is expected to be completed by December 2024, significantly enhancing the water infrastructure at Paradip Port and providing quality drinking water to the residents of Port Township.
During his visit, the Secretary reviewed the functioning of PPA, engaged with Heads of Departments and Deputy Heads of Departments, and inspected key facilities such as the Mechanized Coal Handling Plant, Twin Wagon Tipplers at JSWPTPL, and KICT silos. He proposed system improvements aimed at boosting productivity and overall port performance.
Paradip Port is the leading cargo-handling major port in India. In the financial year 2023-24, PPA achieved the highest cargo throughput, handling 145.38 million metric tonnes (MMT). Under the Vision 2047 plan, the goal is to expand the ports handling capacity to 10,000 million metric tons per annum (MTPA), with detailed plans and opportunities for private investment to be announced soon.
The Vision 2047 initiative aligns with ongoing efforts under the Sagarmala programme, which aims to increase Indias port capacity by 800 MMTPA to a total of 3,500 MMTPA by 2035. As part of the programme, over 800 projects, costing approximately Rs 5.5 lakh crore, have been identified for implementation between 2015 and 2035.
Additionally, the Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030 sets ambitious goals for developing global-standard ports in India, with estimated investments of Rs 1-1.25 lakh crore for capacity augmentation and infrastructure development at Indian ports. |
