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No dry port proposal from Telangana: Centre
In a significant development, Union Shipping Secretary Rajive Kumar said the Central government had not received any proposal from the Telangana government on dry port so far, and it would consider granting one under the mega Sagarmala project if the newly-created Telugu state came up with a formal proposal.
Hyderabad: In a significant development, Union Shipping Secretary Rajive Kumar said the Central government had not received any proposal from the Telangana government on dry port so far, and it would consider granting one under the mega Sagarmala project if the newly-created Telugu state came up with a formal proposal.
“So far, no proposal has come from the Telangana government, requesting a dry port. If they submit a formal proposal under the Sagarmala project, we will definitely consider it,” the Shipping Secretary told The Hans India in an exclusive chat on the sidelines of the Regional Editors’ Conference in Chennai last week.
Telangana is a land-locked State as it has no coast line, and a dry port is essential for spurring the exports. A dry port is an inland terminal which is directly connected by rail or road to a sea port. It normally offers customs clearance, temporary storage, handling and inspection for exports and international cargo.
The Sagarmala project - taken up by the central government to encourage port-led development on a massive scale - offers a good opportunity for Telangana to have a state-of-the-art dry port. Under the project launched in 2015 with an investment outlay of Rs 4 lakh crore crore, the union ministry of shipping plans to modernised existing ports, establish new ports, set up coastal economic zones, fishing harbours and dry ports across the country.
At present, there are over 170 functional dry ports in India and some more are currently under development.“Under the Sagarmala project, we are aiming at developing seven major multi-modal transport hubs (dry ports). We have already identified five locations for implementation, and we are in the process of finalising two other locations,” the Shipping Secretary explained.
On the issue of Telangana dry port, Kumar further said that Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) was in discussion with Telangana to set up dry ports, but the State was yet to revert on it. “VPT Chairman told me they were in dialogue with the Telangana government and the State has to revert on the issue,” he said, adding that a dry port near Hyderabad would require 100 acres of land.
Telangana is looking to increase its total annual exports to Rs 1.5 lakh crore by 2019-20 from Rs 1 lakh crore at present, according to the State’s Export Strategy Framework. Manufacturing sector, which requires dry ports for exports, will account for a significant chunk of the target.
