Major ports enhance efficiency and productivity

Cargo traffic handled at major ports in India has been steadily growing over the past three years - rising from 555.49 million tonnes in 2013-14 to 581.34 million tonnes in 2014-15 and to 606.37 million tonnes in 2015-16. The 12 major ports have handled 370.45 million tonnes of cargo from April to October in the current fiscal (2016-17).

Giving this information in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on Friday, minister of state for shipping Pon Radhakrishnan stated that the operational efficiency of major ports continued to improve as a result of modernisation, mechanisation, acquisition of latest technology and deepening of drafts.

He said an international benchmarking consultant appointed to assess the performance of major ports had, in 2015, recommend 116 initiatives to enhance the efficiency and productivity of Indian ports to international benchmarks. Of the 116 initiatives, 62 have already been implemented as a result of which the overall average turnaround time and productivity of the major ports has improved considerably.

The remaining initiatives are under process and will be implemented by 2019. Implementation of these initiatives would further improve the efficiency and productivity of the major ports, he added.

He said, expansion, modernisation and upgradation of major ports is a continuing process to keep them abreast with new technologies and to meet their commercial requirements. The process inter-alia involves construction of new berths and terminals, mechanisation of existing berth and terminals, capital dredging for deepening of drafts for attracting large vessels in port channels, road and rail connectivity etc.

Under the Sagarmala programme, the government has identified 142 port projects for modernisation and infrastructure development. These infrastructure projects will be implemented on PPP basis with major part of the cost being met by the ports from their internal resources and the remaining from private sector partners.

The centre provides budgetary support to ports in respect of some of the projects, basically relating to capital dredging, connectivity etc. Non-major ports fall under the jurisdiction of state governments.