Paradip Port Authority speeds up ₹4,000-cr port project

The Paradip Port Authority (PPA) has fast tracked the ₹4,000 crore Paradip Port project to be built on the Mahanadi in Akhadasali village in Kendrapada district’s Mahakalapada block in Odisha. The state government has identified 300 hectares of land of which only 175 hectares will be utilized in the first phase and the remaining portion will be used for the development of facilities in future.

The first phase will see development of 18.43 MMTPA of the projected cargo handling capacity of 45.88 MMTPA. The government has accorded in-principle approval to the Paradip Port Authority (PPA). Total cost of first phase is expected to be about ₹2,085 crore. Along with land the state government will also provide other facilities for the project, while the PPA will develop supporting infrastructures like rail and road connectivity and dredging requirements of the port, which will be connected to National Highway-53 and Haridaspur-Paradip railway line for cargo transportation. On commissioning, the port will provide huge direct and indirect job generation avenues to the locals. The port project aims at catering to the transportation requirements of Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.