Cabinet nod to invite new bid for Tajpur Port proj

Kolkata: The state Cabinet has approved the floating of a new Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Tajpur Port in East Midnapore, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday.

In June, the state Cabinet had effectively scrapped the first tender that had gone to Adani Ports and SEZ (APSEZ) in 2021.

In 2021, when the first tender was floated, JSW competed with APSEZ but lost by a narrow margin. JSW currently has a special focus on airport and port infrastructure and has already expressed its interest in Andal Airport, now run by Bengal Aerotropolis Ltd.

DP World and Port of Singapore had also expressed interest in the Tajpur project in 2021. According to the 2021 tender, which valued the project at Rs 25,000 crore, the successful bidder was to be given 125 acres of seafront to develop the port.

The state government had announced in November 2023 that it would open a fresh tender for the

Rs 25,000-crore project, but did not formally announce its decision to scrap the first tender process completely.

It was learnt that the state Finance department is taking legal opinion on the tendering process.