Gangavaram Port to provide 600 jobs

The Gangavaram Port management has promised to provide about 600 jobs to local fishermen.

Addressing mediapersons here today, K Upendra Rao, president, Gangavaram port, said: "We need about 1,000 technical and non-technical people to operate the port after the first phase of works is over. We will provide 600 permanent jobs to local fishermen in the port." The company would also provide training to these fishermen if required.

Stating that Nalammaramapatalu was technically unsuitable for the construction of a fish landing jetty, he said they were developing a world class port with a handling capacity of about 200 million tonnes in 2025. "As Nalammaramapatalu comes under the port limits, construction of a jetty there would hamper our expansion plans," he added.

The port has targeted to complete the project by December 2007. "If the agitation continues, we will not only miss our target but also our project cost would increase," he said.

The port is constructing five berths with a handling capacity of about 35 million tonnes per year in the first phase. "We are expecting 10 million tonnes of cargo to the port in the first year of operations," Rao said.