: The stakeholders of the Kakinada Ports saw an accelerated growth in the export and import activity at the ports in the next four years and chalked out plans for getting readied to meet the new challenges and expectations during seminar on ‘Kakinada Port Gateway Vision-2020’ organised by the Cocanada Chamber of Commerce here on Wednesday.
Commissioner of customs, customs preventive commissionerate, S. Khader Rehman foresaw a sea change in the activity of the ports here in the next four years.
“Two ports are already functioning now. We are expecting one more port and LNG terminals here in the next four years. We are training our staff to attend all kinds of duties,” he said, adding that the net revenues of the commissionerate for the fiscal 2015-16 was Rs. 1,208 crore and a 20 per growth was expected from the current financial year.
“Since both the Central and the State governments are keen on developing the ports, the export and import activities will be manifold in the coming years,” he said.
Director of the Airport Authority of India Raj Kishore said that the expansion works of Rajamahendravaram airport would be completed in the next one and half a year. “Once the expansion is over, even the Boeings can land at the airport,” he said, foreseeing connectivity to Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai from Rajamahendravaram once the expansion was over. “We have plans for passengers and cargo as well.
We are waiting for an approval from the higher ups for launching the cargo from the airport here,” he explained.
Director of the Kakinada Container Terminal M. Muralidhar said that it took about two years from them to launch the container facility from Kakinada.
“Finally, we have commenced the exports. The service to Colombo is available twice a month right now, which can be expanded to twice a week in the next six months,” he said, adding that efforts were on launch the imports through the containers soon.
Chairman of the Cocanada Chamber of Commerce Dantu Surya Rao expressed happiness over the joint exercise launched by the heads of all the wings concerned to accelerate the growth the ports in Kakinada. He exuded confidence that both the Anchorage Port and Deepwater Port would make use of the facilities being provided by the government and expand their vistas very soon.
