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Bengal

Tajpur port: Last date for 'Request for Proposal' extended

Kolkata: The state government has extended the last date for Request for Proposal (RFP) regarding its proposed deep sea port at Tajpur in East Midnapore till February 15 with requests of such extension from a number of companies.

The RFP that was floated was expected to end on January 31.

According to sources in the state Industry department, there has been pre bid meetings with some big companies and their representatives have also come and met us personally. These companies have been shown through power point presentation the locational advantage and the potential of the port. A good number of companies that have its presence in abroad too have showed interest. "Things will be finalised in the bidding process which is expected to take three months after expiry of the RFP. Once the work order is awarded it will take three to three and half years for making the port operational," a senior official of West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) said.

The Tajpur port with capacity of handling 50 million tonnes will be of great benefit particularly for the iron and steel industry .

According to sources in WBIDC, some top national firms have also done field visit of the site that includes the Adani group, Jindal group, Port of Singapore Authority and Dubai Port World.

In 2016, the Mamata Banerjee government had for the first time announced setting up the major deep-sea port at Tajpur scrapping the erstwhile Left Front government's proposal to set up only a minor port at Rosulpur in East Midnapore. But the project had got delayed due to the alleged lackadaisical attitude of the Centre despite initially agreeing to the construction of an iron bridge across Muriganga to connect Sagar Island with the mainland in South 24-Parganas against a 74 per cent stake of the Tajpur Port. Chief Minister had given the proposal to the Centre in December 2017 but the latter did not accept the same. Banerjee then announced that her government would develop the same with an estimated investment of Rs 16,000 crore.

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