News

    NEW DELHI, DEC 21: AS many as 48 Major Port projects, costing Rs 5,545.78 crore, have been completed  under the National Maritime Development Programme (NMDP) as on November 31. 2009, according to the Indian Ports Association (IPA) data.

     This is out of the 276 projects which have been identified under the NMDP. Work on 70 other projects, worth Rs 16,437.95  crore, is in progress now, IPA said.

       While work is yet to be awarded for 15 Projects costing Rs 2,595.15 crore, 33 projects (RS 12,268.37 crore) are under consideration and awaiting approvals.

         According  to IPA, 89 projects worth Rs 22,864.20 crore are under preliminary planning stage.

         Conceived by the Department of Shipping NMDP was launched by the government in March 2006.

        It includes a wide range of activities, namely, construction/upgradation of berths, deepening of channels, rail/road connectivity projects, equipment upgradation/modernisation schemes for creation of back-up facilities and so on.

        The identified projects are to be taken up before 2011-12, the last year of the 11th five-year plan period.

         Total investment involved under the programme is Rs 1,00,339 crore, of which Rs 55,804 crore are for the port sector and the balance for shipping and inland water transport sectors.