In an indication of increasing interest of bidders in the country’s port sector, Essar Ports and Shapoorji Pallonji are among companies that have shown keen interest in developing a river port planned by the Odisha government. On this score, the state government has initiated the tendering process for selecting developers for Odisha‘s first river port, which is estimated to cost Rs 2,110 crore. After inviting requests for qualification, the state government would hold a pre-bid conference, which has been designed to address queries of the prospective bidders. The port can be either captive or commercial — it will depend on the developer. This project has a lot of potential despite being planned in the vicinity of the Paradip Port that mostly handles bulk cargo. The port is being planned on the Mahanadi River and will be located at Akhadasali village, in Mahakalapada of Kendrapara district. The project will be executed on a public-private-partnership basis and after commissioning, its cargo potential is pegged at 44 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) — the first-phase capacity is estimated to be at 18 mtpa., said official sources.
