New Delhi [India], December 24 (ANI): Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated and laid foundation stones of projects worth Rs 270 crore at Deendayal Port, Kandla, Gujarat.

The minister inaugurated oil jetty no. 7 worth Rs 73.92 crore at Deendayal Port, Kandla in the presence of Shantanu Thakur, MoS, MoPSW, Shripad Naik, MoS, MoPSW and other senior dignitaries.

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said in a statement that "The jetty will enhance the liquid handling capacity, by 2.00 MMTPA, of mainly edible oil, fulfil future requirements and will reduce the turnaround time of the vessels. This T-shaped jetty is 110 m long and 12.40 m wide and can handle large vessels upto 65,000 DWT and 14 m depth. The project has led to indirect employment of around 1,000-plus and direct employment of about 250-plus, during the construction phase.""The foundation stone of three projects namely the Development of the backup area from oil jetty 8 to 11 worth Rs 98.41 crore; the Development of four-lane road from LC236B to CJ- 16 worth Rs 67 crore; Construction of a dome-shaped storage shed in cargo jetty worth Rs 39.66 crore were also laid by Sonowal," the ministry addedDuring this occasion, Sonowal said, "these projects will enhance Port Infrastructure along with boosting its logistics performance as well as the overall Economic Growth for its entire hinterland. They will also improve the cargo handling capacity of the port along with further improvement in the turnaround time of the ships and faster evacuation of the cargo''.

He said ''Deendayal Port is the number one port of the country in terms of cargo handling and through these projects, its capacity will be increased which will be beneficial for the entire region.''It is to be noted that, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways as part of its commitment to the development of the Port Sector in India has identified 74 projects worth Rs 57,000 crore under the Sagarmala programme in the state of Gujarat.

Out of which, 15 projects worth Rs 9,000 crore have been completed; 33 projects worth more than Rs 25,000 crore are under implementation and 26 projects worth Rs 22,700 crore are under development. Central line ministries, major ports, state maritime board and other state agencies are implementing these projects. (ANI)