7 years of Sagarmala: JNPA highlights new focus on multimodality

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) today showcased an update on projects under Sagarmala - the flagship programme of the ministry of shipping initiated by the government of India in the year 2015, on the completion of its seven years and noted the renewed focus on multimodality under the PM Gati Shakti programme.

The port particularly cited the development of dry ports in Wardha and Jalna, which are already completed their phase-1 under Sagarmala, that will be connected with upcoming multimodal parks sea ports using big road and rail projects boosting the trade in and around Vidarbha and Marathwada regions of Maharashtra. Currently the dry port in Wardha, Nagpur is developed as a multi modal logistics park  on SPV model with National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) /National Highways Logistics Management (NHLML) with a cost of ₹184 crore. The Jalna project has its 90 percent of ICD works completed while NHAI and CONCOR expressed interest for operationalisation. The project cost is ₹327 crore. 

Sanjay Sethi, IAS, chairman, JNPA, said, "JNPA plays a pivotal role in the governments' initiative of the Sagarmala to boost the port-led industrialization. JNPA has multiple projects under Sagarmala based on the four-fold view- to change dynamics & reduce logistics costs in India, boost overall economic development through ports and empower coastal communities put across by the ministry."

"Acting as the major catalyst for the trade and shipping industry, JNPA's projects like the fourth container terminal, JNPA SEZ, Dry Ports at Wardha and Jalna, additional liquid cargo jetty, and many more will foster port's ease of doing business and take Indian EXIM to greater heights," he added further.

Sanjay Sethi, chairman, JNPA, also gave an update about the recent IT disruption that disturbed the terminals operations at JNPCT. He informed that the port has initiated the sanitization process for the entire digital infrastructure and set up a new protocol to avoid such instances in the future.

He also informed that the port would finalize the process of privatization of JNPCT on April 28 and the coastal berth on May 2, 2022.

Meanwhile the port officials informed ITLN that due to the economic crisis in Sri Lanka and its effect on Colombo port, which many Indian ports on the eastern coast depend for transshipment, the shipping giant Maersk operated a block train from Durgapur in West Bengal to JNPT for the easy movement of export cargo.

The Sagarmala initiative has enabled the Indian ports to handle large volumes by making them more efficient and reducing the turnaround time of containers. Numerous projects have been undertaken across various categories such as port modernization, rail, road, cruise tourism, RORO, ROPAX, fisheries, coastal infrastructure and skill development. Due to the immense potential in Maharashtra's coastal region, 131 projects worth ₹1.05 lakh crore have been proposed to be implemented in Maharashtra.