Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates projects worth Rs 270 crore at Gujarat’s Deendayal Port to boost logistics

January 25,2023

Union Minister for Shipping, Ports, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stones of various projects at the Deendayal Port in Kandla, Gujarat, worth an estimated Rs 270 crore.

The minister was present at the inauguration of oil jetty no. 7 worth Rs 73.92 crore at Deendayal Port, Kandla in the presence of Shantanu Thakur, MoS, MoPSW, Shripad Naik, MoS, MoPSW and other senior government officials.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said in a statement that “The jetty will enhance the liquid handling capacity by 2.00 MMTPA, fulfill future requirements and will reduce the turnaround time of the vessels. This T-shaped jetty is 110 m long and 12.40 m wide and can handle large vessels up to 65,000 DWT and 14 m depth. The project has led to indirect employment of around 1,000-plus and direct employment of about 250-plus, during the construction phase.”

The three projects that were inaugurated are namely the Development of the backup area from oil jetty 8 to 11 worth Rs 98.41 crore; the construction of a dome-shaped storage shed in cargo jetty worth Rs 39.66 crore and the development of a four-lane road from LC236B to CJ- 16 worth Rs 67 crore.

Sonowal post-inauguration said that these projects will work towards enhancing port infrastructure along with boosting its logistics performance as well as overall economic growth for the entire hinterland. He further said that these projects will help in improving the cargo handling capacity of the port along with further improvement in the faster evacuation of cargo, and turnaround time of the ships.

The Ministry of Shipping, Ports, & Waterways has identified 74 projects in Gujarat under the Sagarmala scheme for a total cost of Rs 57,000 crores. These projects are expected to help in improving the port infrastructure in the state.

Fifteen of the 74 projects have already been completed, while 33 of them are under implementation. Around 26 projects are in the pipeline, with a total cost of over Rs 22,700 cr. Other state agencies and central line ministries are also participating in these projects.