Kamarajar Port Ltd. (KPL) will develop around 320 acres of land, at a cost of ₹70 crore, to set up port-related industries. Such port-led industrialisation will also help in providing employment opportunities.
Infrastructure, including roads, rail connectivity, warehousing, container terminals, truck parking, lighting, power supply and drainage, will be created by the port.
“We are looking at industries that require the port for imports or exports — for instance, palm oil processing units or lithium-based battery parts units. This will be like a special industrial park that has proximity to the port,” explained KPL chairman and managing director Sunil Paliwal.
The project is being taken up under the Sagarmala programme, with the aim to reduce the cost of logistics and time for the movement of EXIM and domestic cargo, and development of port-proximate future industrial capacities near the coast is a step in this direction. A consultant has already prepared a master plan and business plan, after consultation with stakeholders. The consultant has identified industries such as pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, electronics, engineering, automobile and non-metallic minerals.
The port currently awaits environmental clearance for the project, that proposes to tender and auction the land parcels for 60-year-long leases. “Such leases are usually for 30 years, but we have taken special permission from the Government of India for making the project more competitive,” he added.
Of the 320 acres identified for the project, 187 acres will be land for industrial and logistics development. Rest of the area will be classified as non-processing area and be set aside for facilities, including roads, utilities and green space. The Kamarajar Port presently has eight operational berths, of which one is primarily used for the export of automobiles, and one exclusively for liquid natural gas imports.
