Paradip Port to become 'mega' maritime facility by 2030: Sarbananda Sonowal

Union Minister for Shipping Sarbananda Sonowal on April 25 said Paradip Port will become a 'mega' maritime facility and the area surrounding it will emerge as a prominent industrial hub in Asia.

The Paradip Port Authority (PPA) came into existence after Independence. "Under Maritime Vision 2030, the PPA will become a mega port and for this, employees as well as stakeholders, including exporters and importers, will have to play a crucial role," Sonowal said.

The proposed industrial hub will attract large projects worth around Rs 10,000 crore, he said.

Sonowal on April 24 asked the port authorities to augment its cargo handling capacity to 500 million metric tonnes per annum by 2030. He also thanked Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for the state's support in the development of Paradip port.

"They (the state government) should continue to provide support so that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a strong and Atmanirbhar Bharat is realised," Sonowal said.

The PM Gati Shakti plan aims at providing systematic, multimodal connectivity to various economic zones for seamless movement of people, goods and services, resulting in the efficient conduct of logistics and economic activities.

The natural, deep-water port is 53 km from Odisha's Jagatsinghpur city. The port is located at the confluence of the river Mahanadi and the Bay of Bengal.

The Government of India administers the Paradip Port through Paradip Port Trust.