Paradip: Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), T K Ramachandran inaugurated and laid foundation stones of several significant projects worth more than Rs 13 crore during his maiden visit to Paradip Port Authority (PPA).
He inaugurated the Trauma and Burn Care (TBC) Centre in the newly constructed Annex building of Paradip Port Hospital. The centre built at a cost of Rs 2.90 crore will provide curative and rehabilitative services for trauma and burn victims in and around Paradip, an official release said on Monday.
Ramachandran also laid the foundation stone for a Rs 10.50 crore Water Treatment Plant of PPA. “The project will receive raw water through Taldanda Canal and will have the capacity to filter 16 million litres of water per day. The plant is expected to be completed by December 2024, enhancing the water infrastructure of Paradip Port and supplying quality drinking water to the citizens of Port Township,” it further said.
The MoPSW secretary also reviewed the functioning of the PPA and interacted with Heads of Departments and Deputy Heads of Departments. He also inspected and reviewed port operations, planning, and expansion at the Mechanized Coal Handling Plant, Twin Wagon Tipplers at JSWPTPL, and KICT silos. He suggested system improvement measures to increase productivity and overall performance of the port operations.
In the financial year 2023-24, PPA became highest cargo handling port with 145.38 million metric tonnes (MMT) cargo throughput. “The goal under Vision 2047 is to increase the port handling capacity to 10,000 MTPA. Contours of the plan will soon be spelt out. There will be avenues for private participation that are being worked upon. All ports are preparing a master plan in order to become mega ports by 2047. Improving port infrastructure and facilities, reducing turnaround time, and increasing handling capacity will be the bedrock of the 2047 target,” the release said.
It further informed that this goal is well above the targets set under the ongoing Sagarmala programme that aims boosting port capacity by 800 MMTPA to an overall 3,500 MMTPA by 2035. “As a part of Sagarmala programme, more than 800 projects at an estimated cost of Rs 5.5 lakh crore have been identified for implementation during 2015-2035. In a nearer goal, the Maritime India Vision (MIV) 2030 has a goal to develop global standard ports in India. The MIV 2030 estimates investments to the tune of Rs 1-1.25 lakh crore for capacity augmentation and infrastructure development at Indian ports,” it added.
