Odisha pushes 14 port projects

The state government in Odisha has called upon the Central government to clear multiple non-major ports, which have been proposed along the coast of north Odisha and urged to remove hurdles for setting up six port projects that have been lying in limbo due to objections raised by the Defense ministry. In its entirety, the State Government had identified 14 locations on its coast for development of ports, it later decided to go ahead with six in northward direction from Dhamra at Bichitrapur, Subarnarekha, Bahalpur, Chandipur, Inchuri, and Chudamani. Meanwhile, concession agreements have been signed for establishment of two ports at Astarang in Puri and Subarnarekha in Balasore district. Besides, the State government had signed a MoU with Aditya Birla Group for development of a captive port at Chudamani in Bhadrak district. Since the proposed ports were close to the missile testing centre at Wheeler Island in Bhadrak district and the Interim Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Balasore district, the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been objecting to these projects and the state sought Central intervention on this score, said an official spokesperson.