Ever since its establishment a decade ago, Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corp. (IPRCL) has been actively engaged in improving port rail and ropeway infrastructure across the country. Now, with an eye on emerging opportunities, the company is expanding into new areas, including inland waterways, port digitalisation, building construction, investment facilitation and overseas projects, shares Manoj Kumar Semwal, Managing Director, in an exclusive interaction with CW. A company owned by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, IPRCL also looks forward to delivering the initial phase of the ambitious National Maritime Heritage Complex by year-end. Edited excerpts.

IPRCL was established as Indian Port Rail Corp. in 2015 to address the critical need for last-mile connectivity between ports and national transport networks. The company was formed with equity participation from 11 major ports and RVNL (Rail Vikas Nigam), which holds a 10 per cent stake, under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways...