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Santanu Sanyal

Kolkata, Nov. 18 Dhamra Port Company (DPCL) Ltd, a Tata Steel and Larsen & Toubro joint venture engaged in setting up a bulk items handing port at Dhamra (Orissa), is keenly watching the declaration of the Talcher-Dhamra river systems as part of National Waterways No. 4. The river route, it is felt, will provide cost-effective and environment-friendly transportation of goods between the port, which is now under construction, and Orissa’s Kalinganagar and Talcher-Angul areas, which are set to emerge as major growth centres of the State.

DPCL, according to its CEO, Mr S.K. Mohapatra, will be interested in creating handling facilities on certain stretches of the waterway and providing rivercrafts, depending on the requirement.

“We may go on our own in this regard or might even consider teaming up with others keen on such a venture but nothing has been finalised as yet,” Mr Mohapatra observed. He said that NW4, if properly developed, would throw up opportunities for freight movement not only in Orissa but also in West Bengal, as some of the Bengal canals adjacent to Orissa too would be part of the waterway.

“I have no doubt that some of the West Bengal-based industries will benefit from it,” he said, while talking to Business Line in Bhubaneswar recently.

The work on Dhamra port, as he pointed out, was on schedule. “Our target commissioning time is April 2010 and as of now, there has been no change in the target date or in the cost estimate set at Rs 2,460 crore,” he said.

The land acquisition for the project was almost complete. Almost, because there were some issues involving a few villages over the right of way for the 62-km long railway line between Bhadrak, which is on the Howrah-Chennai main line, and the port but the issues, hopefully, would be resolved soon. The proposed railway line would pass through a total of 74 villages.

The dredging of the navigational channel, being undertaken by India Seaports Dredging Ltd, a joint venture between L&T and the Belgium-based Dredging International, now in progress, would be over on time, to coincide with the commissioning of the port. An estimated 50 million cubic metres of silt would be dredged for navigation as well as reclamation purpose. The order for cargo handling equipment had already been placed, mostly with L&T and some with ZMPC, the Chinese firm.

Referring to the issue of environment protection, Mr Mohapatra said that the port is taking environment management measures that would serve as a model in this part of the country. The port has teamed up with IUCN, world’s leading group of scientists on wild life, to evolve best practices during construction and operation of the port.

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