New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) received Rs.15 crore from the Union Ministry of Commerce last week to set up a ‘business development park’, chairman of the trust P. Tamilvanan said here on Sunday.
Addressing a gathering at a function on the port premises, he said that a new building, to be built using the fund, would comprise the port-related Customs office, health offices of the port, accommodation for stevedores (dock workers involved in loading and unloading) and foreign visitors under one roof. Now those offices and facilities were scattered all over Panambur. When all of them were housed in one building it would help exporters. “The business development park will centralise all these,” he said.
Mr. Tamilvanan said that the building (called the park) would be built at an estimated cost of Rs. 20 crore. The trust would bear the remaining amount.
The function had been arranged for dedicating the port’s berth number 13 for the movement of vessels carrying petroleum, oil and lubricants. M. Veerappa Moily, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas (PNG) and Minister for Environment and Forests (MoEF) inaugurated it. Mr. Moily also laid the foundation for building berth number 18 for movement ships carrying container and bulk cargo.
Energy-independentAddressing the gathering, Mr. Moily said the country would become energy-independent by 2020. He said officials at the district-level have a role to play in the implementation of big ticket projects.
Mr. Tamilvanan said that the port’s cargo handling capacity now stood at 76.77 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). Berth number 13 has increased the cargo handling capacity by an additional 7.8 mtpa and berth number 18 will add to handle an additional 5.8 mtpa of cargo.
The estimated cost of the 350m berth number 13 is Rs. 79.17 crore. The jetty work cost Rs. 51.69 crore.