The Gujarat government’s Nargol port project was one of the most ambitious port development projects in recent memory. Last year, the Gujarat government requested international bids for the development of the ambitious Nargol greenfield port, which was expected to cost $3,800 crore in the first phase. For a state that handles over one-third of the country’s marine traffic, the state maritime regulator, the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), requested bids from private entities for the development of a greenfield port. This came after Cargo Motors, the port developer, failed to meet project deadlines, forcing the regulator to reject the job it had been given for the Nargol port construction.
To entice potential bidders, the state government made various changes to the bidding process, such as increasing the concession period from 30 to 50 years. The government failed to attract a single bidder after extending the deadline more than five times by the time it expired on February 4, 2022. During the pre-bid discussions, about a half-dozen private companies expressed interest in the project, ranging from Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone to JSW Steel and Dubai-based D P World. In fact, the Adani Group and D P World requested a deadline extension in order to conduct pre-feasibility studies. One of their main concerns was that a large port was planned only 50 kms from Nargol, at Vadhwan in Maharashtra by the Central government for an investment of ₹65,000 crore. Thus Nargol would face stiff competition.
