In its bid to remove the dirty tag attached to it, Visakhapatnam Port Trust which launched its commercial operations way back in 1933, is getting ready for capacity augmentation and addition by undertaking work on three pending projects after receiving formal clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
The VPT is going ahead with the setting up of a 10 MW solar power plant near the Visakhapatnam International Airport at a cost of Rs.57 crore as part of its green initiative.
“We have made all the arrangements and are all set to take up work on a fast-track mode on three projects,” VPT Chairman M.T. Krishna Babu told The Hindu . The port would take up work keeping in view the concerns raised by the people in the neighbourhood over pollution.
The projects envisaged with an original outlay of over Rs.1800 crore are expected to be completed in three years to add an additional capacity for handling in mechanised environment. The port has already declared its intention to increase its capacity from 85 million tonne to 124 million tonne in the next two to three years besides several environment-friendly measures.
Capacity augmentation
Among the three projects, Essar Vizag Terminals Ltd, a wholly-owned company of Essar Ports Ltd, announced in May last year the taking over of the properties of the Ore Handling Complex and other facilities for modernisation and capacity augmentation to enhance iron handling capacity from 12 to 23 million tonne.
The project, as per original estimates and agreement signed in Chennai, would cost around Rs.845 crore. The OHC built in 1965 was modernised in 1976. It has a 4.8 km-long one-way conveyor belt.
Visakha Container Terminal Pvt. Ltd has signed the concession agreement for the extension of the container terminal at a cost of Rs.633 crore. The VCTPL, a company owned by JM Baxi Group and DP World, which launched operations in 2003, sources said, would award various works for the expansion project anytime.
Following no response to take up work on BOT basis, the VPT has decided to develop West Quay North berth consisting of WQ 7 and 8 with its internal accruals with an investment of Rs. 393 crore.
The work on construction on the multi-cargo terminal in the inner harbour has been awarded to ITD Cementation.
