Four new ports proposed

The Union Government, which is soon going to release a draft maritime action plan for Sagarmala, is expecting investments to the tune of Rs 3.5 lakh crore in the next 15 years through development of ports and infrastructure around it. The Centre has already set up a Sagarmala Development Company with an initial grant of Rs 450 crore, which is likely to be doubled to enable investments. Greenfield ports are proposed at Vadhavan, Maharashtra, Sagar Island, West Bengal, Colachel, Tamil Nadu, and Durgarajapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, while deep harbour ports are proposed at Tuticorn and Paradeep. Each new port will need investments upto Rs 20,000 crore with upto Rs 8,000 crore to be spent in the first phase alone.