India to Roll Out $8 billion Smart City Ports
Indian shipping minister Nitin Gadkari has said the government is working on an ambitious plan to build one smart city each at the country's 12 major ports. The plan estimates total investment of Rs 50,000 crore ($8 billion).
Government moving ahead with its ambition plan to build twelve cities at twelve ports, as part of its ambition plan of building 100 smart cities in the country, Gadkari said.
The 12 major ports under the Centre’s control have between them an estimated 2.64 lakh acres of land, which is being mapped through satellites and are major resources with Shipping Ministry.
Each city will be built with an expenditure of about Rs 3,000-4,000 crore. These will be green smart cities. The government is trying to start work on these in four to six months and expected to complete in five years.
The 12 major ports in the country Kandla, Mumbai, JNPT, Marmugao, New Managlore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, V O Chidambarnar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia) handle approximately 61 per cent of cargo traffic.
Mumbai Port Trust alone has about 753 hectares of land with it, valued at about Rs 46,000 crore.
Gadkari said these cities will be built in accordance with international standards and will have wide roads, green energy, advanced townships and greenery. In addition, these smart cities and ports will have e-governance links, international standard facilities, special economic zones, ship-breaking and ship-building centres, besides allied things, he said.
Gadkari said his ministry has plans to encourage setting up of some bio diesel plants at these ports, including Haldia, where bio diesel will be made from palm oil residue. Port water will be recycled. Port wastes will be turned into bio gas. Vehicles will run on bio fuel. Solar energy and wind power will be generated at ports. These cities will be pollution-free and very green smart cities.
