Rs 15,877-cr investment for JNPT

The Centre has planned an investment of Rs 15,877 crore for the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) under its ambitious National Maritime Development Programme (NMDP) projects.

"The government has made Rs 15,877 crore investment plans under NMDP, out of which, Rs 11,586 crore would be met through the private sector. The Jawaharlal Nehru port was expected to get higher private investment share, compared with all other major ports," a senior government official said.

Out of the total Rs 15,877 crore investment for JNPT, Rs 2,999 crore would be sourced through budgetary support and Rs 885 crore through the port's own internal resources, the official added.

In addition, Rs 407 crore was envisaged for road and rail connectivity projects through the department of road transport & highways and the ministry of railways, the official said.

Earlier, the Jawaharlal Nehru port signed a licence agreement with Gateway Terminals India Private Ltd, a joint venture company formed by Danish shipping major Maersk A/S and rail PSU Container Corporation of India Ltd (Concor) for constructing a third box terminal on build operate and transfer (BOT) basis.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Port, which handles over 56 per cent container traffic of the country, has already initiated the process of developing a fourth container terminal, the official added.

The Centre has formulated a comprehensive National Maritime Development Policy, to facilitate enhanced private investment in the port sector, involving a total investment of about Rs 60,339 crore up to 2013-14.