Pravash Pradhan
Post News network
New Delhi, Oct 5: Orissa has demanded Rs 4259crore for development of roads and railways connecting four ports under Centre’s proposed Sagarmala project.
Participating in the first National Sagarmala Apex Committee meeting here Monday, Orissa Transport Minister Ramesh Majhi sought to develop ports for the industrial and economic development in the state.
“We have put forth a plan to develop four ports (Dhamara, Astaranga, Gopalpur and Subarnarekha). We also demand a four-lane connectivity from ports to the national highways and railway line connecting these ports with Howrah-Chennai rail line. We have sought Rs 1089crore and Rs3170crore for development of roads and railways respectively connecting the four ports in the state,” said Majhi after attending the meeting on behalf of the Chief Minister.
He also added, “We have demanded an industrial park near Dhamara port. Port led industries like agro-based; food processing units and fisheries would be set up near the port.”
Besides this, Majhi urged the Centre to expedite the works under inland waterways 5.
Union Minister of transport Nitin Gadkari had called a meeting of chief ministers of seven states to discuss the Sagarmala project aimed at port-led development in the coastal areas.
Sagarmala programme seeks to achieve NDA government’s vision of port led development by focusing on port modernisation and capacity augmentation, efficient and speedy evacuation; port led industrial development and coastal community development.
The meeting was attended by Union Ministers from ministries of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation; railways; rural development; civil aviation; petroleum & natural gas, environment, forests and climate change; and vice-chairman of Niti Aayog, besides Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Goa, and state ministers of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Orissa and Tamil Nadu.
