Adani Group receives Letter of Intent for Tajpur port
Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Wednesday handed over to Adani Ports the Letter of Intent (LoI) for the Tajpur deep sea port project, which entails a total investment of Rs 25,000 crore.
The LoI was handed over to Karan Adani, CEO of Adani Ports during the Vijaya Sammelan programme at Eco Park in New Town in presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The port would entail an investment of about Rs 15,000 crore. The related port-led infrastructure development would involve another Rs 10,000 crore. Overall, the project would involve an investment of Rs 25,000 crore.
It would create at least 25,000 jobs directly besides indirect employment opportunities which would touch one lakh.
Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi said this deep-sea port will usher in a new era of growth in the state, including in the hinterlands.
The greenfield port will provide quick access to the world markets to Bengal-based industries. In fact, all the Eastern states will benefit from the dramatically improved connectivity of the port through highways and integrated inland waterways.
It will also be linked to the industrial & economic corridor from Dankuni to Raghunathpur being developed by the state. Once functional, the port will improve regional logistics and export efficiency of the state and unlock huge industrial and economic opportunities.
The RFP (Request for Proposal) for development of the Tajpur Port on 'Design, Build, Operate and Transfer Model' was published by the state government on October 18, 2021.
Following the technical and financial evaluation and completion of all formalities, the Cabinet accorded approval for the issuance of LoI by the West Bengal Maritime Board for the development of the Tajpur Port to APSEZ last month.
The port will be located 5 km from NH-116B and around 170 km from Kolkata. The deep draft of 12.1 m with an 18 km channel and with tidal support of 3.9 m leading to a net 16 m draft facility will enable large cape-size vessels of one lakh DWT.
State Industry and Commerce minister Shashi Panja, Secretary of the department Vandana Yadav and several industrialists in Bengal were present during the handing over of the LoI.
Many ports and logistics majors expressed initial interest in Tajpur Port but Adani and Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Group were the only two entities that participated in the financial bid round and APSEZ emerged as the highest bidder.
The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that the Adani Group's disqualification from the Visakhapatnam Port project cannot be treated as an "ineligibility" that bars it from bidding for other port projects.
