Kolkata port to set up a Multi Modal Park

The state owned Kolkata port is planning to construct a Multi  Park. The port has initiated the process by inviting expressions of interest for the allotment of 60 acres of land on a 30-year lease. The logistics park will feature a modern warehousing complex equipped with cold storage facilities, a truck terminal, railway connectivity, and other essential amenities.

The port trust is considering the installation of an additional floating crane at Diamond Harbor.   The installation of floating cranes at anchorages to expedite transshipment cargo handling is among the port’s top priorities. The floating crane, positioned at Diamond Harbor, will facilitate the lifting of both cargo and containers

The Port also plans to widen the Diamond Harbor road for improved connectivity to Falta and Roychawk, establish a Freight Corridor up to Dankuni, and expand NH 116 to connect Kolaghat and Haldia. Moreover, a RoRo jetty on the Howrah side of the Hooghly River is also in the pipeline.

The port also has plans to construct an underground tunnel beneath the Hooghly River to alleviate congestion in Kolkata Metropolis. Since the old time ports of Kolkata Chennai and Mumbai are situated in the heart of city, the port traffic has to pass through congested roads to reach the destination, causing indefinitely delays. These old ports have therefore become unpopular with the EXIM trade which switch over to the ports away from the city so that they do not face the problem of indefinite delays in reaching the ports. The ports of Chennai and Mumbai have given way to Kamarajar and Jawaharlal Nehru port in terms of volumes handled during the past ten years.

The port’s chairman, Rathendra Raman, confirmed that talks with a consultant are underway regarding the tunnel project, and a study report is expected in the coming months.