The first phase of the proposed deep sea port at Tajpur in East Midnapore district will be completed within three years, West Bengal Finance minister Amit Mitra today said.
The decision to set up the "flagship deep sea port" at Tajpur was cleared at a Cabinet standing committee on infrastructure meeting held at the state secretariat.
A Group of Secretaries (GOS) has been formed to analyse the feasibility report by CRISIL and submit its suggestions to the government regarding the project, he said.
The GOS will be chaired by the Chief Secretary along with secretaries of Finance, Transportation, Industry and experts.
Mitra said the Request For Proposal was ready and would be filed within a month as per the panel's suggestion.
The old project envisaged by the Left Front government at Rasulpur in the same district had proposed creation of a 93-km-long channel for the passage of ships and acquisition of 1,500 acres of land for the purpose.
"In comparison, the Tajpur-Shankarpur area where the project will come up will require creation of only a 18.5-km-long channel for ships. There is also no need for acquiring land. The port can be built on reclaimed land," Mitra said.
He said the new project, estimated to cost around Rs 160 crore, would not cause any harm to tourism in the region as there is a guard wall in the coast between Shankarpur and Tajpur.
"The new plan is not only cost-friendly, but also the safety and security of the port will be maintained," Mitra said.
"There will be 15 deep berths and all terminals will have multi purpose facility with the ability to handle dry bulk cargo of all types as well as container cargos," he said.
The minister also said that the state government has identified around 500 acres of land at Kulpi for a port and a ship manufacturing unit.
"The Apeejay Surrendra Group will work on this and the state will develop the infrastructure," Mitra added.
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