John Wilbert and Y Naveen Kumar
Port Blair, Oct 06:The Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Mr. Nitin Gadkari said, Shipping sector has immense potential and under the Sagarmala Project, various development oriented projects viz. shipping, water ways, ports and roads have been initiated.
Addressing a gathering at Port Blair after inaugurating the Sea Route to Baratang Island at a function organized at Port Blair last evening, the Minister said, a total of Rs 16 lakh crores investment has been made under Sagarmala Project, of which Rs 4 lakh crores has been earmarked towards Ports – Rail – Road connectivity and modernization of 12 Major Ports of the country. Apart from this, strengthening of 3 major shipyards viz. Shipping Corporation of India, Cochin Shipyard & Goa Shipyard have also been taken up. He said, this year, a whopping amount of Rs. 7000 crores has been made as profit in the shipping sector compared to 4000 crore and 5000 crore in the previous years. The Minister further added that the
Shipping sector has a huge potential for investment and called upon the private players to invest in this sector, as this will create employment opportunities and revenue generation.
The Minister also informed that 111 rivers have been included in the waterways project and in the days to come, 7 more waterways projects are likely to commence. He said, strengthening of waterways is important as the logistic cost is less and it is a convenient mode of transportation. Import of coal incurs huge expenditure and hence, efforts are on to switch from coal-generated power to methanol-generated power, as it is cost effective, import substitute and pollution free. Speaking about power generation in A&N Islands,
The Minister said that diesel generated power in the Islands causes environmental pollution and needs to be replaced. As such, eco friendly mode of power generation viz. solar, wind, tidal wave energy can be explored which will be pollution free and cost effective. As a step towards curbing pollution caused by diesel generated power, plans are also being made to set up LNG & CNG based power in the Islands soon. The Minister further stated that the focus of the Ministry is to augment the facility of Dry Port, which will facilitate shipbuilding and ship repairing here in the Islands. Once the dry port is set up, the shipping industry will flourish and generate employment opportunities as well as generate huge revenue to the Islands, which will ultimately boost the Islands’ economy, said the Minister. As a means to give further fillip to tourism sector, the Minister disclosed that an amphibious bus, which can ply on both road and water, has been launched in Mumbai and the same can also be initiated in the Islands too. He called upon the private entrepreneurs to come forward and invest in this sector and assured that his Ministry will extend all possible help and support. The Minister further stated that under the Sagarmala project, about 12 lakhs crore investment for port-led infrastructure has been earmarked and this ultimately will generate more employment.
The Minister said, Tourism could further be boosted through Sagarmala Project, which will ultimately generate employment. He also informed about the cruise terminal, which has been set up at Mumbai to facilitate tourists, and is likely to come up in various other places too. Similarly, cruise tourism can also be developed in the Islands, connecting it with other parts of the country, he said. The Minister also informed that a 500-seater catamaran cruise is likely to be inducted into service, which will connect Mumbai to Goa. He said, under the Sagarmala Project, the Ministry is focusing on ‘Make in India’ and ‘Made in India’ programmes. Efforts are on to bring in new technology for manufacturing ships in the country. Similarly, the Minister informed that in order to boost ‘blue economy’, the Ministry is also encouraging deep sea fishing beyond 12 nautical miles, under which fishermen in a group of 5 to 10 with an amount of Rs. 10 to 15 lakhs will be provided a trawler of Rs 1 crore for deep sea fishing purpose. The Minister stressed the need to give impetus to ‘blue economy’ which has a huge potential and can generate huge income and employment to the Islanders. Under ‘Blue Economy’, fish processing & fish export can be set up in the Islands, thus paving way for more economic investment in this sector, he said.
Speaking about shipping sector, the Minister said, most of the ships in A&N Islands are old and need to be replaced. Accordingly, new ships are being built to meet the needs of the Islanders and once these ships are inducted into services, they will further strengthen the sea connectivity of these Islands. He said, few ships would be joining the existing fleet this year while another 14 ships will be added by 2020. Apart from this, the A&N Administration has placed orders for 25 new ships. As an interim measure, the A&N Administration along with ALHWhas inducted a 386-pax capacity ship, MV Bharat Seema into service besides MV Coral Queen has been chartered to give its services in the Islands. The Minister also informed that Rs 2000 crores has been sanctioned for development of ports in A&N Islands. The Ministry of Shipping has sanctioned Rs. 63.55 Crore for purchase of two tugs for better and safe berthing of ships. Under Sagarmala Project, three visions have been outline for the A&N Islands. Under this, Rs. 17 crore has been sanctioned for development of port at Port Blair while Rs. 15 crore for development of port at Havelock. Apart from this Rs. 7 crore has been earmarked for cargo jetty at Havelock. The fund will be provided by Govt. of India.
