Private entrepreneurs have come forward to develop six minor ports in the State under the Karnataka State Port Development Policy (KSPD) 2014.
Minister for Ports Baburao Chinchansur said here on Monday that Honnavar, Manki, Mavinakurve, Belekeri, Tadadi and Malpe ports in Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada will be developed under the public-private-partnership (PPP) model. “The government will lease these ports for 30 years and get revenue,” he said.
The Minister said a Hyderabad-based company will develop Honnavar port at a cost of Rs. 600 crore. Ashraya Pvt. Ltd., an Andhra Pradesh-based company, will develop Belekeri port at a cost of Rs. 3,000 crore. “But the process has been delayed because of the CBI probe into the illegal export of iron ore from there,” he said. Discussions were on with a Gujarat-based company and Jindal Steel Works to develop Tadadi port and Mavinakurve port at a cost of Rs. 5,000 crore and Rs. 600 crore respectively. Shree Renuka Sugars of Belgaum has been given the responsibility of developing Manki port at a cost of Rs. 46 crore, he said.
