Govt. sets 1.5 billion tonne annual target for ports

New Delhi, Apr 26 (UNI) The government today said it had set a target of 1.5 billion tonne annual capacity for both major and minor ports at the end of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-2012).

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Minister T R Baalu said the Working Group on Ports had envisaged an annual capacity of 1001.80 MT for the 12 major ports by the end of the XIth Plan.

''This will require an investment of Rs 55,401.56 crore, including private sector investment of Rs 36,868.24 crore,'' he added.

The 12 major ports are Kolkata, Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Ennore, Chennai, Tuticorin, Cochin, New Mangalore, Mormugao, Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Kandla.

The minister said development of non-major ports was the responsibility of the state government concerned.

''Our aim is to achieve 1.5 billion tonnes annual capacity in both major non-major ports at the end of the XIth Plan,'' he informed.

Replying to another query, Mr Baalu said the government had opened two new regional offices of the Mercantile Marine Department at Cochin and Kandla and three district level offices at New Mangalore, Paradip and Haldia.

He said several steps had been taken to modernise and streamline the functioning of the Mercantile Marine Departments, which had been reoriented to shift focus from the role of regulator to a facilitator.

UNI