The Centre has approved the project of development of an Oil Jetty at Deendayal Port, Kandla in Gujarat for over 123 crore rupees. Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal approved the development of an Oil Jetty at Deendayal Port to handle all types of liquid cargo at Kandla under a public-private partnership model.
Ports play an important role in promoting trade and economic growth in the country. The proposed project is designed to increase the cargo handling capacity of the port, which will attribute to a reduction in the turn-around time of liquid vessels. This project will increase Deendayal Port’s income through the collection of Royalty from the Concessionaire.
Kandla Port
Kandla, now officially Deendayal Port Authority, is a seaport and town in Kutch district of Gujarat state in Western India, near the city of Gandhidham. Located on the Gulf of Kutch, it is one of India’s major ports on the west coast. It is about 256 nautical miles southeast of the Port of Karachi in Pakistan and about 430 nautical miles north-northwest of the Port of Mumbai. Kandla Port was constructed in the 1950s as the chief seaport serving western India. Kandla Port was renamed as Deendayal Port in 2017 under the Indian Ports Act, 1908.
The Port of Kandla Special Economic Zone (KASEZ) was the first special economic zone to be established in India and in Asia. Established in 1965, the Port of Kandla SEZ is the biggest multiple-product SEZ in the country. Kandla is the first Export Processing Zone in India. Covering over 310 hectares, the special economic zone is just nine kilometers from the Port of Kandla. Today, the Port of Kandla is India’s hub for exporting grains and importing oil and one of the highest-earning ports in the country. Major imports entering the Port of Kandla are petroleum, chemicals, and iron and steel and iron machinery, but it also handles salt, textiles, and grain.