The Prime Minister’s office has asked the Shipping Ministry to fast track the Sagar Mala project.
The note from the PMO read: “The nodal point for Sagar Mala project will be the Ministry of Shipping. This project needs to be expeditiously worked out by integrating all components i.e. port facilities, central ferry services, tourism infrastructure and inland water transportation.”In the past one week, on two occasions — once in Goa, and the second time at Maharashtra — Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the need to fast track the project to connect all coastal cities in India through road, rail, ports and airports through a special development package.
Modi had said that the project would enhance the unique identities of these coastal cities in consonance with sea-side life.Addressing a function at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust SEZ in Mumbai last week, Modi had stressed the need for shifting focus from port development to ‘port-led development’ model to maximise gains.
Modi said that the Government had conceived Sagar Mala project for maritime states, envisaging not merely port development, but port-led development which would include ports, SEZs, rail, road, air and waterway connectivity with the hinterland, including linkages of cold storage and warehousing facilities.
Noting that two-thirds of all global trade and 50 per cent of container trade happens through the Indian Ocean, Modi had said that “ports can become gateways to IndiaRss prosperity.”The communication has also directed the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to look into the possibility of constituting a task-force, besides use of technology to check evasion of taxes at toll plazas.
“Toll plazas and border checkposts should make use of technology so that tax evasion, overloading and delays can be eliminated. A task force may be formed to look into these aspects,” the PMO said.It added that similar targets should be set for level 2 infrastructure such as rural roads, drinking water etc and “PMO will work on this and finalise target for it”.
The directions come at a time when the PM is scheduled to review the performance of key infrastructure sectors, including highways, shipping, coal and power at a meeting early next month in respect to the targets set. The Centre is keen to speed up infrastructure development and increase investments to boost economic growth which remained at sub five per cent level during the previous two fiscals.