The proposal to build a high-end port in Odisha could pose crippling competition to two ports scheduled to come up in neighbouring West Bengal.
The proposal to build a port in Subarnarekha in Odisha has raised serious questions over the economic viability of two upcoming ports in Sagar and Tajpur in neighbouring West Bengal.
According to sources, the prospect of three ports coming up in close vicinity of one another could spell doom not only for the West Bengal Government’s pet project at Tajpur, but also for the future of the second arm of Kolkata Port on Sagar Island.
A Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) official said: “There would not be enough cargo to sustain these three ports in close vicinity. Being in the same state, Sagar and Tajpur would struggle to be economically self-reliant. Now, with the possibility of another deep draft port in Subarnarekha, the situation could be very grim for these two upcoming Bengal ports.”
Earlier, the development of the port on the Sagar Island was proposed after slowing down of business at Haldia Port, an arm of KoPT.
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