Bengal Gets Rs 35 bn Push as India Eyes Global Shipbuilding Lead
DEFENSE

Bengal Gets Rs 35 bn Push as India Eyes Global Shipbuilding Lead

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched five brownfield expansion projects in West Bengal remotely, saying the initiatives total Rs 35 billion (Rs 35 bn). He predicted India may soon become a global shipbuilding hub and urged emphasis on cost reduction, quality and timely delivery.

Projects include three Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers facilities in Kolkata, Howrah and Raichak and the Yantra India Metal and Steel Factory in Ishapore to strengthen shipbuilding, repair and metallurgical capabilities. Ceremonies occurred at Kidderpore, Shalimar, Raichak and Ishapore and the Navratna defence PSU has signed leases with Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port to develop three Hooghly River sites. Yantra India is leading two projects totalling more than Rs 7.5 billion (Rs 7.5 bn) at Ishapore.

The largest project is a 32-acre riverside facility at Raichak planned as a shipbuilding hub with investment exceeding Rs 25 billion (Rs 25 bn). It includes a 356-metre waterfront, a 96-metre jetty, an eight-to-ten metre draught, a 200-metre dry dock and block fabrication units to build warships up to 200 metres and commercial vessels to 60,000 DWT. Smaller allocations include Rs 1 billion for a four-acre Timber Pond at Shalimar and about Rs 700 million for Kidderpore upgrades to support medium repairs and electric ferry production.

Yantra India will install a 3,000-ton forging press at a cost of Rs 2.7759 billion (Rs 2.7759 bn) to replace an older unit for gun barrels and heavy forgings, and this is expected to reduce downtime and yield annual savings of Rs 255.8 million. The second project is a radial forging plant at an outlay of Rs 4.7384 billion (Rs 4.7384 bn) with an execution timeline of 30 months, expanding capacity for super alloy forgings and other critical hardware. The minister underlined the need for self-reliant defence manufacturing to deliver quality products at competitive prices, saying higher volumes could offset lower margins.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched five brownfield expansion projects in West Bengal remotely, saying the initiatives total Rs 35 billion (Rs 35 bn). He predicted India may soon become a global shipbuilding hub and urged emphasis on cost reduction, quality and timely delivery. Projects include three Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers facilities in Kolkata, Howrah and Raichak and the Yantra India Metal and Steel Factory in Ishapore to strengthen shipbuilding, repair and metallurgical capabilities. Ceremonies occurred at Kidderpore, Shalimar, Raichak and Ishapore and the Navratna defence PSU has signed leases with Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port to develop three Hooghly River sites. Yantra India is leading two projects totalling more than Rs 7.5 billion (Rs 7.5 bn) at Ishapore. The largest project is a 32-acre riverside facility at Raichak planned as a shipbuilding hub with investment exceeding Rs 25 billion (Rs 25 bn). It includes a 356-metre waterfront, a 96-metre jetty, an eight-to-ten metre draught, a 200-metre dry dock and block fabrication units to build warships up to 200 metres and commercial vessels to 60,000 DWT. Smaller allocations include Rs 1 billion for a four-acre Timber Pond at Shalimar and about Rs 700 million for Kidderpore upgrades to support medium repairs and electric ferry production. Yantra India will install a 3,000-ton forging press at a cost of Rs 2.7759 billion (Rs 2.7759 bn) to replace an older unit for gun barrels and heavy forgings, and this is expected to reduce downtime and yield annual savings of Rs 255.8 million. The second project is a radial forging plant at an outlay of Rs 4.7384 billion (Rs 4.7384 bn) with an execution timeline of 30 months, expanding capacity for super alloy forgings and other critical hardware. The minister underlined the need for self-reliant defence manufacturing to deliver quality products at competitive prices, saying higher volumes could offset lower margins.

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Modi Urges End-to-End Reforms for Infrastructure Projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for continuous reforms across all stages of infrastructure project execution during the 53rd PRAGATI meeting. He asked ministries and state governments to adopt an end-to-end approach and a proactive work culture to ensure timely delivery. The meeting reviewed six key infrastructure projects in the railway, road and power sectors across nine states with a cumulative investment of Rs 300 billion (Rs 300 bn). Officials assessed projects on timelines, inter-agency coordination and resolution of pending issues. He said infrastructure projects should b..

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

GMR Airports Plans US$2 bn Expansion In Delhi And Hyderabad

GMR Airports plans a US$2 billion (bn) expansion of facilities at New Delhi and Hyderabad as part of a major modernisation drive. Hyderabad’s upgraded airport will be able to accommodate about 80 million (mn) passengers a year, more than double its current annual volume of 34 mn fliers. The company is India’s largest airport operator by number of fliers annually, while rival Adani Airport Holdings Ltd is the biggest by number of airports and is reported to be looking to invest US$15 bn to boost passenger capacity over the next five years. Executives indicated the build-outs in New Delhi an..

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

Mumbai Airport to Demolish Part of Terminal One From 15 January

Adani Group-operated Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) will begin partial demolition of the north section of Terminal one-B at Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport from 15 January 2027, according to a letter to the civil aviation ministry. The operator has begun redistributing air traffic to Terminal two and to Navi Mumbai International Airport to facilitate the work. The airport, managed by Mumbai International Airport, currently has a capacity of over 50 million (mn) passengers and handles over 950 flight movements daily. Terminal one is nearly 80 years old and parts of it have..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement