Srikakulam port is ready to kick start

The process of developing the long pending Bhavan-apadu Greenfield sea port project in Srikakulam has kick started by the Andhra Pradesh government.

An Expression of Interest was issued by the Infrastructure Corporation of AP for developing the port on a Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer basis on a public-private-partnership model and will be the first sea port to materialize since the TD coming to power.

The port will handle cargo from in and out of Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts of AP along with mineral rich states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, South Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. INCAP need to have the proposals on or before March 16.

The net worth of the applicant, according to the corporation was decided as Rs 800 crore. The state, besides the major port of Visakha Port Trust as Visakhapatnam, has identified 14 non-major port locations for development that are administered by the Director of Ports of AP.

A senior official of the Infrastructure Corporation said that three non major ports are already operating under PPP mode at Kakinada, Krishnapatnam and Gangavaram out of 14 port locations. These ports handled more than 50 million tonnes of cargo As of March 2014.

He said that the state’s coastline contributes to approximately 12 per cent of the India’s cargo throughput added to approximately 60 million tonnes of cargo handled by Vishakhapatnam Major Port.