Sarbananda Sonowal Hon’ble Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, visits JNPA

Sarbanand Sonwal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, visited Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), India’s best-performing Port, on Thursday, August 22, 2024,  to ­­inaugurate three lake beautification and rejuvenation projects in the JN Port vicinity. He also reviewed various infrastructure and developmental projects at the Port.

On arrival at the Port Shri Unmesh Sharad Wagh, IRS, Chairman, JNPA welcomed Union Minister, MoPSW, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal. The visit marked a significant moment in JNPA's ongoing efforts to advance India's maritime infrastructure and contribute to the nation's growth under the 'Viksit Bharat' vision.

Highlighting JNPA’s commitment to environmental sustainability, the Minister inaugurated three significant water bodies aimed at enhancing the ecological balance in the region. These include the Admin Building Foothill Lake and the CPP Lake, both of which are strategically located within the port vicinity, serving as vital reservoirs for rainwater harvesting and habitat restoration. The groundbreaking ceremony of the Jashkar Lake was also performed by him. These lakes are named after the great saints of Maharashtra Saint Dyaneshwar Maharaj, Saint Eknath Maharaj and Saint Namdeo Maharaj.

During the visit, he also performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the Smart SEZ project. The objectives of this project include preventing perimeter intrusions, ensuring disciplined vehicle movement, streamlining gate operations, tracking the in-and-out time punches of all personnel and vehicles, and extending network connectivity to all utility buildings for LAN users. Additionally, the project aims to provide the necessary infrastructure for future applications such as an Energy Management System, Smart Water Management, Smart Street Lighting, Smart Parking, and Weighbridges. He planted a sapling under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam initiative at JNPA SEZ.

During his visit to JNPA, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, issued LoI to SEZ concessionaires. JNPA has allotted plots in 7 phases. The recent e-auction of phase 7 for 57 Acres saw a remarkable response, with 21 bidders submitting bids for 6 unit plots and 3 co-developer plots. Notably, there was an overall 95.23% increase in quoted value for the said plots above the reserve price, resulting revenue increase of 63% above the reserve price for JNPA. In the last financial year of 2023-2024, SEZ was able to generate EXIM trade of Rs 15000 Crores, including 8049 TEUs witnessing a year-on-year growth of 300%.

As part of the strategic engagements, JNPA issued the date of award of concession to the concessionaires of Liquid Berth 3/ Liquid Berth 4 (LB3/LB4). JNPA announced the successful expansion of its liquid cargo handling capacity with the introduction of Additional Liquid Cargo Berths (ALCB), specifically Liquid Berth-3 and Liquid Berth-4. These berths will be equipped, operated, maintained, and eventually transferred through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. The Letter of Intent was awarded to M/s JSW Infrastructure Limited on February 19, 2024, and the Concession Agreement was signed on April 8, 2024. The Date of Award of Concession has now been officially declared on August 22, 2024, in the presence of the Hon’ble Minster for Ports, Shipping and Waterways. Currently, JNPA handles approximately 6.5 Million Metric Tonnes Per Annum (MMTPA) of liquid cargo through its existing Liquid Berth-1 and Liquid Berth-2. With the completion of the Additional Liquid Cargo Berths LB3 and LB4, JNPA's total liquid cargo handling capacity will increase to 11 MMTPA.