Captain Alok Mishra has been appointed as the Managing Director of India Ports Global which handles the operations of Chabahar port in Iran. The appointment of Mishra has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), a year after the previous office holder vacated office on 18th September 2020. Currently, Mishra is the Head Operations and Transformation Lead at Gateway Terminals India Private Limited (GTI), 74% owned by APM Terminals Management BV. GTI is among the five container handling facilities operating at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT). According to the 27 September memorandum issued by the Department of Personnel and Training, Mishra has a five-year tenure. India's participation in developing Chabahar Port will provide India with a reliable and alternative access route into Afghanistan using the Zaranj-Delaram highway in that country. Chabahar port will provide a sea-land access route to India into Afghanistan and Central Asia through Iran's eastern border. The project is a strategic venture for the development of maritime transit traffic into both countries. India Ports Global and Aria Banader Iranian Port and Marine Services Company had signed a deal in 2016 to equip and operate the container and multi-purpose terminals at Chabahar Port Phase I, with an $85.21 million investment and an annual revenue expenditure of $22.95 million over ten years of lease period. The project has been delayed due to the US sanctions. The ten years of operation period is yet to begin. India and Iran have operationalised the port through a short-term contract, given the challenges over financing the cargo handling equipment like the rail-mounted quay cranes (RMQC). It was also delayed for three more years as the crane makers denied participating in the tender due to the sanctions. India Ports Global has had to extend the bid deadline 18 times since September 2020. Image Source