The Hindu Business Line : Paradip port submits proposal to NHAI to upgrade road link

Long row of trucks waiting at the Paradip port for loading. Several hundred trucks carrying iron ore and other minerals move into the Paradip port everyday, throwing up congestion and other problems. The port authorities have submitted schemes to the National Highways Authority of India to improve road connectivity between the mines and the port. — Parth Sanyal

Kolkata , Jan. 5

THE Paradip Port Trust (PPT) has submitted to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) a Rs 1,440-crore scheme to upgrade the road connectivity between various mines in Orissa and the port, according to PPT sources.

The scheme presupposes fourlaning of three road systems - 190-km-long Panikoili-Barbil road system at a cost of Rs 1,055 crore, 42-km long Sukinda-Dubrimore road system at a cost of Rs 230 crore and 28-km long Gua-Barbil (via Barjamda) system at a cost of Rs 155 crore. Also, once fourlaned, these roads, PPT has urged NHAI, should be treated as national highways (NHs). NHAI is examining the schemes, say sources pointing out that Panikoili-Barbil stretch has already been designated as NH 215.

While the Panikoili-Barbil and Gua-Barbil (via Barajamda) schemes are designed to facilitate road movement of iron ore from the country's largest iron ore bearing areas to Paradip port, the one between Sukinda and Dubrimore the movement chrome ore.

The Paradip port already handles large quantities of iron ore and chrome ore and chrome concentrates arriving at the port by road for exports. Last year, the port handled about 1. 6 to 1.7 million tonnes of iron ore transported to the port by trucks. The figure this year might jump to two million tonnes. The entire chrome ore export of about 1.2 million tonnes too is carried to the port by road. In peak time, nearly 1,000 trucks carrying various minerals, the bulk of which is iron ore, move into the port everyday.

It might be noted that NHAI, under the Prime Minister's National Highway Development Programme, has already decided to fourlane the 78-km-long National Highway 5A connecting the port with NH 5 which again connects Kolkata with Chennai.