The government of India has spent INR 13308.41 Crore ($1.9Bln) on infrastructure development and capacity augmentation of major ports in the country.
A number of projects have been awarded in the last three years on upgradation of the major Ports, said the Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya.
The upgradation of ports is an ongoing process involving construction of new berths and terminals, mechanization of existing berths and terminals, capital dredging for deepening of drafts for attracting large vessels, development of road and rail connectivity, he said.
As a result, the cargo handling capacity of the Major Ports as on 31st March, 2019 is 1514.09 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) which is adequate to handle the EXIM and Coastal cargo. The traffic handled by Major Ports during 2018-19 was 699.10Million Tonnes (MT).
The projects, once awarded, are executed as per the relevant contractual timelines. These projects are monitored regularly at various levels in the concerned ports as well as in the Ministry to ensure timely completion.
Major Ports submit monthly status report on projects to be awarded and projects to be completed to the Ministry, which is reviewed regularly.