Source: Times of India
As part of the New Mangalore Port’s golden jubilee celebrations, a slew of infrastructure projects will be inaugurated, said NMPA chairman AV Ramana. Speaking at a workshop on maritime adversities held here on Monday, he said that the infrastructure projects would be inaugurated either by the PM or the President in Jan 2025. The projects include the modernisation of KK Gate, four-laning of the road between KK Gate and NH-66, and the introduction of radio frequency identification (RFID) for scanning vehicles.
All the development works will be completed by Dec 2024 to make the celebrations more meaningful, he said.
He stated that the NMPA has registered a 10.3% growth by handling 45.7 MMT of cargo in 2023-24, as against 41.4 MMT of cargo in 2022-23. The NMPA has achieved an operating income of Rs 833 crore as against Rs 743 crore in 2022-23 and has achieved a net surplus of Rs 551 crore in 2023-24. By achieving an operating ratio of 34.5% during the year, the NMPA chairman is hopeful of crossing 50 MMT of cargo in 2024-25, with the completion of road connectivity across the Ghats. The port handled 1,476 vessels as against 1,293 vessels in 2022-23. The year saw an increase in container traffic, with the port handling 1,96,424 TEUs in 2023-24, as against 1,65,515 TEUs in 2022-23. When the road connectivity to the port becomes an all-season road, the NMP can handle 60 to 70 MMT of cargo. The port has also handled 277 container vessels during the fiscal year. With NMPA handling passenger cruise vessels, around 7,000 to 8,000 international tourists visit every year, which in turn benefits village and small-scale industries, he said. Deputy commissioner Mullai Muhilan MP said the development of the port would, in turn, help in the development of the economy of the region.
