Pics: Meryick D'Silva
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SHS)
Mangalore, Aug 7: Outlining the road map for the New Mangalore Port which achieved 6.29 percent steady growth in traffic, P C Parida, chairman, New Mangalore Port, said the port will build a development park spread over 6,500 sq m that will be completed in the year 2016.
Parida said this while addressing members of the Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Wednesday August 6, in response to the memorandum submitted to him. The memorandum highlighted the problems pertaining to the port.
The project to the tune Rs 22 crore will accommodate banks, restaurants, convention center, and shopping complexes. The tender will be awarded in the month of November for the initial phase. He stressed that this will give a new facelift to the beauty of the port.
He said that the port requires wholehearted assistance from KCCI to ensure the development of the port. Parida said, “In order to increase trade, a railway line will be laid from the railway marshalling yard to Tannirbavi yard. A request has been sent to divert the freight that travels from Mysore to Kolkata, to Mangalore.”
He said that laying railway lines from the marshalling yard to Tannirbavi would create an additional capacity of 10 million tonnes for the port. “This will provide railway facility to oil dock berth no 19, KIOCL area. Along with this around 2-3 berths will be upgraded to cater to the growing trade demands,” added Parida.
“The port, though not the entity to carry out the harbor work at Kulai, will shoulder 20 percent of the Rs 65 crore spent on the construction of the fisheries harbor. Even though Mangalore port has less manpower compared to other major ports, there was steady growth in the trade and capacity of handling cargo and traffic,” he said assuring that an additional 23 traffic inspectors will be employed in the coming days for the smooth flow of traffic.
The memorandum submitted by the KCCI to Parida included such demands as implementation of National Tribunal Award, reduction of labour gang strength, revision of datum, maintenance and repairs of transit shed and overflow sheds, declaring New Mangalore Port as designated port, value added services to container trade, inventory management of container yard and so on.