The government is looking to expand the Deendayal Port, previously called the Kandla Port, in Gujarat, to match the increasing demands. While privately owned Mundra Port is the largest commercial port in the country, Deendayal is the largest in terms of the volume of cargo handled. Considering this, the government has felt the need to raise its capacity to not only fulfill the demand better but also stay on a competitive level with the Mundra Port.
For this purpose, an expansion plan worth Rs 6,000 crore has been drafted. The government is looking to execute this plan with Public Private Partnership (PPP) and has invited bids for the same. According to sources, the bid was floated last week and details the project and other terms and conditions.
According to the plan, the government is looking to set up a new mega-container terminal, which is expected to cost around Rs4,244 crores. The rest of the Rs1,720 crores will go to build a multi-purpose cargo berth at the Deendayal Port. The addition of these two facilities will help the port significantly increase its cargo handling capacity.
The expansion is expected to add 18.33 million metric tons per annum (MMTPA) capacity for handling dry cargo and 2.19 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of container traffic. The present capacity of the port for handling dry cargo is 59.96 MMTPA and container cargo of 6 Lakh TEUs per annum. This project is expected to be completed within 36 months from the date of the contract.
The Deendayal port primarily offers services for Northern India, including the land-locked states of Jammu & Kashmir (now a UT), Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.
