India: Three Major PPP Projects Get Funds

A total value of Rs 8000 crore for three major PPP projects — Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (Mumbai), Kandla (Gujarat) and Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) that have been awarded will create additional capacity of more than 79 MTPA.

The Rs 6,700-crore project on the fourth container terminal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, awarded to a consortium led by the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), is still on hold.

According to the PMO (The Prime Minister’s Office), a Committee in the Planning Commission is discussing the funds needed for dredging and port improvements. The draft at ports will be improved with a new plan that is being prepared. Changes will be made so that ports could accommodate larger vessels.

The PMO is also in the favor of including Capital Dredging in the infrastructure sector. By 2020 the Ministry of Shipping plans to attract an investment of Rs 2.87 lakh, to be used for projects on 12 major ports and 200 ports under states’ jurisdiction. According to IBN Live, after these projects the ports are expected to handle a total of 2.5 billion tonnes cargo.

In the existing major ports in India, the traffic will probably increase from the present 600 Million Tonnes (MT) to 1,215 MT by 2019-20.

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Dredging Today Staff, April 13, 2012;