SPMP inks ₹30,000-cr infra investment pacts  

Shyama Prasad Mookherjee Port Trust has signed 42 MoUs involving ₹30,000 crore investment to build port-related infrastructure. Deputy Chairman, A K Mehra informed that the targeted investments will be made in the areas of logistics, port-led infrastructure, shipbuilding and digital port framework to underscore the logistics prowess of West Bengal. According to an Additional MD of Summit Alliance Port Limited- Bangladesh, Syed Yasser Haider Rizvi, there is much hope in the utility of Meghna Basin in contributing towards local trade between the two countries. He stressed on improving navigability up to Karimganj and linking it with NW-16 from Bhanga to Lakhipur (121 km) as it will provide better transit connectivity between Kolkata and the hinterlands of lower Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.

Debashis Dutta, Chairman, CII Logistics Subcommittee & President, Ripley & Co mentioned that several incentives in ports, especially about Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020, was passed by the Parliament of India. The bill aims to decentralize decision-making and reinforce excellence in major port governance. As per studies conducted under the Sagarmala Programme, cargo traffic at ports is expected to be approximately 2,500 MMTPA by 2025, while the current cargo handling capacity of ports is only 2,406 MMTPA.