Centre to rollout plan to develop minor ports

The Centre will put in place a comprehensive plan to develop 204 minor ports in the country in the next six months to boost coastal shipping and inland waterways, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday.

A high-level expert committee would be set up to prepare a plan on how to develop minor ports. Of the total 204 minor ports only 40 are functional and the remaining are lying idle, he told reporters here.

These minor ports will be developed so that it can support 12 major ports in India.

Small cargo will reach to major port from minor ports and boost EXIM cargo, the minister said.

India has 12 major ports— Deendayal (erstwhile Kandla), Mumbai, JNPT, Marmugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Kamarajar (earlier Ennore), V O Chidambarnar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia)— and 204 minor ports under the control of states.

This decision was taken at the 17th meeting of the Maritime State Development Council (MSDC) held here in which secretaries of states participated.