Cargo handling of Dhamra Port expected to cross 30.5 mt this FY

Bhubaneswar: The total cargo handling of Dhamra Port during the current financial year is expected to cross 30.5 million tonne (mt).

This year, the port has already handled 29.37 mt cargo by February, 2021.

Chief Executive officer of Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL) Subrat Tripathy informed that there has been manifold increase in cargo handling from Dhamara port within last eleven years.

The total export and import cargo handling has increased from 5 mt in the financial year 2011-12 to 29.71 mt in 2019-20.

The port envisions enhancing its cargo handling capacity to 300 MMT per year in coming years. The port has paid around Rs 612 crore of State revenue over last ten years.

Reviewing the progress made of the port, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra directed the Collector Bhadrakh to protect the land adjoining the ports for development of industrial hub and townships.

Mahapatra said, “With quantitative and qualitative growth of Dhamara port, railway and road connectivity and coming in of the LNG Tank near the port, the area is rapidly heading towards a port town. Master planning of the area and protection of the available land would provide further fillip to the port-led industrial development in the area”.

Chairman and Managing Director IDCO Sanjay Singh, present in the meeting, was advised to acquire the land and develop the sites for industrial use in coming years.

Dhamara Port Company Ltd (DPCL) has developed three new berths taking the total berths to five. DPCL has also constructed 62.5 kms of rail connectivity from Dhamara to Bhadrakh connecting the main Howrah-Chennai railway line.