Paradip: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday inaugurated infrastructure projects worth Rs 427.80 crore at Paradip Port in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district, including facilities aimed at improving vessel handling, connectivity, energy supply and port operations.
A key project inaugurated was the Rs 352-crore initiative to provide 18.5-metre deep-draft capability in the port’s inner harbour, allowing it to handle fully laden Capesize vessels. The facility is expected to improve economies of scale, reduce vessel turnaround time and lower logistics costs, officials said.
Sonowal also inaugurated a 500-metre, three-lane bridge constructed at a cost of Rs 24.89 crore, a sports hostel built for Rs 2.10 crore and an upgraded administrative office building costing Rs 12.18 crore.
Other projects launched included a Rs 20-crore piped natural gas (PNG) network for residential quarters in the port township and an advanced Vessel Traffic Management and Information System developed at a cost of Rs 15.50 crore.
Sonowal said Paradip had set a new benchmark in sustainable living with the introduction of PNG connectivity for its township residents. He said Paradip had become the first major port in India to provide PNG connectivity, which would ensure cleaner and uninterrupted energy supply and could reduce household cooking-gas expenses by up to 40 per cent.
The minister was accompanied by Odisha Industries Minister Sampad Chandra Swain, Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai and Paradip Port Authority Chairman P L Haranadh.
Addressing the gathering, Sonowal said the investments at Paradip were aimed not merely at expanding a single port but at creating a broader economic multiplier for eastern India.
He said deeper drafts, modern cargo-handling facilities, better connectivity and increased mechanisation would enable Paradip to play a larger role in trade, logistics, industrial development and employment generation in the region.
During the programme, Sonowal also witnessed the signing of concession agreements for three mechanisation projects involving a combined investment of Rs 1,580.36 crore.
The projects are part of Paradip Port Authority’s plan to achieve complete berth mechanisation by 2030. The port currently has about 80 per cent of its berths mechanised, an official said.
The proposed mechanisation is expected to enhance the speed, safety and environmental efficiency of cargo operations while reducing vessel turnaround time and logistics expenses.
Sonowal said the development of Paradip was part of the Centre’s broader efforts to modernise India’s maritime infrastructure.
He said the country had made significant progress in strengthening ports, waterways, shipping and allied maritime capabilities over the past 12 years, with the sector emerging as an important driver of economic growth and self-reliance.
The minister also planted a sapling at the port, marking a milestone in Paradip Port Authority’s initiative to establish a plantation base of one million trees and expand green cover.
The port’s plantation efforts were initiated in the aftermath of the 1999 Super Cyclone and have received renewed impetus in recent years. The authority said close to one lakh trees had been planted annually over the past four years with the participation of employees, stakeholders and local communities.
