Ports to be spruced up

State-owned Maritime Board has planned to develop a few ports and jetties in the state on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) system. The project, which is estimated to cost Rs50,000 crore is slated to start in the next few months.

In a meeting held recently, State has agreed in principle on the proposal presented by the Maritime Board. “It includes the development of five to seven ports including Revas, Mandwa, Vijaydurg and Dhamankhol. It will be conducted under the BOT system and enable the State to grow its export drastically,” said Pritamkumar Shegaokar, deputy president of the Board. He said the tenders will be invited in the next few weeks and the work will start as soon as possible.

Sources from the Board said that the State is focusing on ports to make sure that they are not used only for fishing purposes but major export is routed through them. “So, three marketing federation terminals are proposed on three major ports in Navi Mumbai, Nagpur and Marathvada,” he said. The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister and President of the Board Vilasrao Deshmukh, also sanctioned the Green Belt Project at Dhamankhol, Ratnagiri.

Segonkar said that ports in four districts in the Konkan belt have been given utmost importance. “Local fishermen in this area have been opposing the projects but we are holding meetings with their leaders to convince them.” State also sanctioned the permission for a shipyard at Tulsundewadi in Ratnagiri.