The Minister of Shipping and Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadari laid the foundation stone for eight connectivity projects worth Rs. 1117.03 crores at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) today. These projects include:

All these projects will enhance connectivity of the hinterland   to JNPT. Port Connectivity is among the four pillars of Ministry of Shipping’s flagship Sagarmala programme.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Gadkari said that huge investments are expected under the Sagarmala programme, which will lead to better infrastructure and creation of new jobs besides giving  a big push to Indian exports. He said a lot of companies have shown interest in acquiring land for setting up factories in the JNPT SEZ zone, and this in turn will create a demand for  skilled manpower. Shri Gadkari informed that a coordinator will be appointed to look into the requirements of these new companies and help to train the local youth from Raigad and Konkan areas to meet their specific needs. He said the government’s aim is to increase efficiency and improve the development in and around the port areas by continuously undertaking new initiatives.

Shri Anil Diggikar, Chairman JNPT assured that the Port Trust is fully focused on creating world-class infrastructure to enable hassle free trade and contribute to the ease of doing business. Efforts aimed at improving the infrastructure at JNPT have already started bearing results as congestion has come down to zero and tonnage handled has reached a record high of 4.5 million TEU for the year ended March 2017. Senior officials from various departments and representatives from the industry were also present during the foundation stone laying ceremony.

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UM/NP/MS