Bhubaneswar, February 25: To meet the future demand for cargo handling, the Odisha Government has initiated a process for the development of non-major ports at eight potential sites.
The State has already notified 14 potential sites for the development of such ports. The 14 notified sites are—Bichitrapur (Talashari), Subarnarekha Muhan, Bahabalpur, Chandipur & Inchuri in Balasore district, Chudamani & Dhamra in Bhadrak district, at Jatadhar Muhan in Jagatsinghpur, Astaranga & Baliharichandi in Puri district, Palur & Gopalpur & BahudaMuhan (Sonepur) in Ganjam district.
Out of the 14 sites Dhamra Port and Gopalpur Port are already functioning while Subarnarekha Port and Astaranga Port are under development. The land acquisition process at these two new proposed port sites are going on, an official said.
A captive jetty is also under the pipeline at Jatadhar Muhan. The State Government has signed an agreement with JSW Utkal Steel Limited for development of the jetty, he said.
Similarly, a tripartite agreement was signed in between Paradip Port Authority (PPA), Odisha Maritime Board (OMB) and Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited (SMFCL) of Government of India for development a port at Bahuda Muhan (Sonepur) in Ganjam district.
Paradip Port is the only Major Port in the State under the control of the Government of India, which is packed to accommodate increasing traffic.
Now, the State Government plans to develop new non-major ports, cruise terminals, multi-purpose harbours, ship building and repair facilities, and container terminals at designated port locations across the State to address the projected increase in demand for cargo handling facilities and capitalize on the maritime sector’s potential in Odisha, officials said.
Part from the above places, the State has invited expression of interest for development new ports at Bichitrapur (Talashari), Bahabalpur, Chandipur & Inchuri in Balasore district, Chudamani in Bhadrak district, Baliharichandi in Puri district, Palur & Bahuda Muhan in Ganjam district.
The notified port location at Bichitrapur lies in the northern part of the Balasore district, and about 110 km towards the east of Balasore town. The Hinterland of the proposed port includes some of the major existing integrated steel plants at Tatanagar, Bokaro, Durgapur, Burnpur, and Rourkela and huge reserves of high-grade Iron Ore at Chiria, Guva and Amuka mines and Keonjhar area.
It was proposed to develop the Bichitrapur Port with a cargo handling capacity of 55 MTPA in three phases (25 MTPA in first phase and 35 MTPA in second phase).
Similarly, Bahabalpur lies in the southern part of the Balasore district, and about 30 km towards the east of Balasore town. The proposed port at Bahabalpur will be primarily catering to the states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh & western part of West Bengal which form the primary hinterland of the port.
It was proposed to develop the Bahabalpur port with a cargo handling capacity of 105.44 MTPA in three phases (16.70 MTPA in first phase and 550.50 MTPA in second phase).
Chandipur, located about 16 km towards the east of Balasore town, has huge potential for cargo handling. It is located near to major existing integrated steel plants at Tatanagar, Bokaro, Durgapur, Burnpur, and Rourkela and huge reserves of high-grade iron ore at Chiria, Guva and Amuka mines and Keonjhar area.
As per proposal, the Chandipur port terminal will be developed to handle 3.3 MTPA cargo in first phase, 7 MTPA in second phase and 10 MTPA in third phase.
Inchuri lies in the southern part of the Balasore district, and about 160 km towards the north-east of Bhadrak town. A port with handling cargo capacity up to 10 MTPA can be developed in three phases.
The State Government has also planned to develop the Chudamani port, 120 km towards the north-east of Bhadrak town, with a cargo handling capacity of 1.82 MTPA in first phase, 3.3 MTPA in Phase-II, 7 MTPA in third phase and 10 MTPA in the last phase.
The proposed port includes some of the major existing integrated steel plants at Tatanagar, Bokaro, Durgapur, Burnpur, and Rourkela and huge reserves of high-grade Iron Ore at Chiria, Guva and Amuka mines and Keonjhar area, coinciding with the hinterlands of Dhamra Port.
The proposed port at Baliharachandi is located about 28 km towards the north of Puri town. It was proposed to develop the port to handle 0.67 MTPA cargo in the first phase and then expand its capacity to 10 MTPA in other phases, the officials informed.
The proposed Palur port is located nearly 40km north of Gopalpur port. It can be developed to handle a maximum 10 MTPA cargo in four phases as like the Baliharachandi port, they said.
Moreover, Bahuda Muhan, which is just 40 km from Gopalpur town, is planned to be developed as a non-major port with initial capacity to handle 22.42 MTPA traffic, which can be enhanced up to 162.60 MTPA in five phases.
The State is also planning to locate potential sites for new greenfield port projects to accommodate the increasing demands of the maritime sector.
Suitable locations will be identified for developing new cruise terminals to support the growing demand in the tourism and cruise industry. The cruise terminals will be connected with local attractions to support regional economic growth and boost tourism, the officials informed.
As per the plan, new locations will also be identified for developing multi-purpose harbours that can support diverse maritime activities, including cargo handling, fishing, and tourism.
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