Sagar Mala project aims to not only connect the ports with hinterlands through road and rail, but also develop the inland and coastal waterways as a major transport routes, an official statement by the Shipping Ministry said.
Sagar Mala was announced by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the Independence Day in 2003 with the objective of achieving rapid capacity expansion and modernisation of ports along the country's east and west coasts.
The project envisaged developing India's ports to levels comparable with the best global ports in terms of infrastructure, efficiency and quality of service, increasing the tonnage capacity, upgrading and creating ship building and ship repair facilities and increase the use of inland waterways for transportation.
It has proposed that the growth of India's maritime sector be achieved by developing Maritime Economic Regions (MER).
The note has suggested that an MER would be a Regional Ports System comprising of a cluster of Major Ports and Non-Major Ports and the development of an MER would involve development of ports, port based SEZs (special economic zones), coastal industrial clusters and other port based industries.
The MER envisages that it would be linked with road, inland waterways transport and airport projects to have the best connectivity, the statement said.