The Hindu Business Line : Kolkata Port board okays Bengal Shipyard proposal

Kolkata, Oct. 8 The Board of Trustees of Kolkata Port Trust, at a meeting here on Monday, approved the proposal for shipyard mooted by Bengal Shipyard Ltd, a joint venture between Bharti Shipyard and Apeejay Group.

“Ours is a technical clearance,” said the spokesman for KoPT. “Our clearance is based on the assessment that the construction of the shipyard with a long waterfront will in no way interfere with movement of ships along the navigable channel of the Hooghly river. Also, for any construction on the waterfront, approval is needed under Section 46 of the MPT Act.”

‘First step’

But then KoPT’s clearance is only the first step. There are so many other hurdles which have to be overcome, the most important being land acquisition. “Even if everything proceeds as per schedule it will be another two to two and half years before the actual work on the project could be started,” he observed.

Badur, a village close to the confluence of Rupnarayan and Hooghly rivers in East Midnapore district, has been identified as the location for the project. The land requirement is estimated at 400 acres and the project cost at Rs 2,000 crore. Once commissioned, the shipyard is expected to provide jobs, both directly and indirectly, to a large number of people.

Orissa shipyard

It might be noted that the promoters of Bengal Shipyard Ltd have also applied for land in Orissa for setting up a shipyard in the State. The identification of land there however is yet to complete, it is learnt.