The State Government has identified eight more locations for setting up of ports on the coastline in addition to the existing ports and MoU-signed port proposals.
In response to a question by MlA Kailash Chandra Kuleshika in the Assembly, Commerce Minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi said two ports at Dhamra in Bhadrak district and Gopalpur in Ganjam have already come up and concession agreements have been signed with the Creative Port and Development Company and the Navyuga Engineering Company for establishment of ports at Subarnarekha mouth in Baleswar district and at Astarang in Puri, respectively. The two companies have kept up doing port development works now.
Similarly, the Government has signed an MoU with the Aditya Birla Group for setting up a port at Chudamani in Bhadrak district, he said, adding that an in-principle approval has been given to the Posco India limited for establishing a captive port at Jatadhari mouth in Jagatsinghpur district.
The eight identified location are Bichitrapur, Bahabalpur, Inchudi and Chandipur in Baleswar district, Jatadhari mouth in Jagatsingpur, Baliharchandi in Puri and Palur and Bahuda mouth in Ganjam.
The Minister further informed that the State Government doesn’t invite any company to set up port; rather interested companies submit applications on their own for the purpose.