JOIN USNMPA to implement three projects worth Rs 695 cr under PM Gati Shakti
New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) Chairman A V Ramana said that NMPA will be starting commercial operation of an integrated container at berth number 14 through JSW by the fourth week of March.
At present, berth number 14 was handling 1.50 lakh TEUs cargo (twenty-foot equivalent units) annually. With the JSW’s latest ultra-modern infrastructure, berth number 14 will handle three lakh TEUs annually. Mechanised handling of containers at berth number 14 will give a boost to the business environment of the hinterland of Karnataka.
Higher handling capacity will increase business activities which will, in turn, lead to economic growth. The NMPA has signed a concession agreement with JSW Infrastructure Limited to develop and operate a container terminal on the PPP model at a cost of Rs 281 crore. The mechanisation is expected to increase efficiency and thereby reduce turnaround time, pre-berthing delay and dwell time in the port.
Ramana said that as the NMPA will also mechanise its only deep draft berth number 14 for handling container, the port will need a deep draft berth to handle the dry bulk and break bulk cargoes arriving through large ships of 60,000 deadweight tonnage and above.
Stating that the NMPA is implementing three projects worth Rs 695 crore under the PM Gati Shakti, he said that in addition to the integrated container at berth number 14, the NMPA proposes to construct a new berth, numbered 17, for multipurpose cargo handling at a cost of Rs 217 crore and will be implemented through Engineering Procurement and Construction mode.
The project is expected to generate employment opportunities for around 2,000 people. As per the DPR, berth number 17 is expected to handle 131 vessels for different types of bulk cargo and generate a total tonnage of 4.73 MTPA. The work order will be issued by the end of 2023.
Further, the NMPA Chairman said that the port is committed to constructing a fishing harbour at Kulai at an estimated cost of Rs 197 crore. The legal hurdle for the fishing port construction has been resolved and the work order will be issued shortly.
Once completed, the project will decongest the crowded fishing harbour at Mangaluru and will offer a safe place for fishing boats during the monsoon. The Kulai harbour is expected to handle 27,100 tonnes of fish worth Rs 172.56 crore at boat side price annually.
The US Mallya gate at the port is being modernised. A truck terminal will come up at KK Gate and a truck terminal at the customs gate will be modernised, he said.
Also, 85,000 sq metres of the portland at Thannirbhavi will be leased out for a Gas Plant project. Also, land has been allotted to Priya Gold at a project cost of around Rs 600 crore, which will generate direct and indirect employment.
To a query on the closure of toll plaza at Surathkal, the NMPA Chairman said that the NMPA is not an authority to deliberate and decide on the toll plaza.
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