The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR, OCT 11, 2021
The ambitious Rs 100-trillion national master plan for multimodal connectivity, also known as Gati Shakti, aimed at facilitating multi-modal connectivity to more than 1,200 industrial clusters including two defence corridors across the country, will be unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 13.
On India’s 75th Independence Day, the Prime Minister had announced that the Centre will soon launch ‘Gati Shakti Master Plan’ for accelerating economic growth by building infrastructure. He also pegged the project as a source of employment opportunities for the youth.
The Rs 100-trillion project is aimed at improving inter-connectivity between transport infrastructure like road, rail, air and waterways to reduce travel time and enhance industrial productivity. It will create an integrated framework for infrastructure development across the country ensuring that various economic hubs are able to better utilise their investments resulting in ease of doing business.
Notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has continued with many strategic reforms and the country is on the path of recovery. Better supply chain and reduced logistics cost shall make Indian products cheaper and viable for domestic as well global markets.
Paradip Port Trust (PPT), the largest dry bulk handling port in India, is strategically located at the East Coast of India in the State of Odisha and handled 114.55 MMT cargo in FY 20-21. As part of the Centre’s Purbodaya vision, Odisha has an important role to play in this ambitious Gati Shakti project.
Paradip Port serves a massive hinterland of Central and Eastern India being well connected with 4-lane National Highway No. 53 and 3-lane State Highway No. 12. It is connected with several industrial clusters viz. Sambalpur-Jharsuguda, Angul-Dhenkanal, and Kalinganagar steel hub.
Keeping in tune with the overall sustainable development of the port area and the general wellbeing of its inhabitants, Prime Minister Modi will be laying the foundation stone of a second Exit Road-cum-Flyover. This 2.4-km long and four-lane flyover will be an alternative Entry/Exit option of the Port, facilitating safe and congestion-free movement of vehicles.
Presently, the Road Over Bridge at Atharbanki is the only connecting road for the entire traffic (both cargo and passenger) entering the Paradip Port from National Highway and State Highway. It is the only route for crossing railway tracks and Atharbanki Creek to reach the Port, leading to heavy traffic on this corridor. The Project is thus a necessity for the enhanced cargo movement to the Port and smooth public travel by ensuring segregation and seamless movement of freight and non-freight road traffic. The project will facilitate an increase of approximately 20 percent truck/trailer movement amounting to an additional 400 trucks/trailers per day which translates into 2.4 MMTPA of capacity augmentation.
The project will generate employment for about 100 people during the construction phase. The PPT is implementing the project through Indian Port Rail & Ropeway Corporation Ltd. (IPRCL) at an investment of Rs.93 crore.
Based on its state-of-the-art infrastructure, modernization, cost-efficient and customer-friendly services, Paradip Port is making rapid strides to emerge as the largest Major Port of the Country in the next couple of years; and shall efficiently cater to the needs of the present and upcoming industries in the hinterland.
