Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal had a joint review meeting with Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister, Maharashtra. During this meeting Sonowal and Fadnavis took a detailed review on various projects related to ports and the shipping sector in Maharashtra under the Sagarmala program of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The meeting also focused upon matters related to Vadadhavan Mumbai Port and setting-up of Maharashtra coastal state pavilion at National Maritime Heritage Complex, Lothal. While discussing the completion of Sagarmala Projects in Maharashtra Sonowal mentioned, ‘Immediate attention is required to expedite the completion of 14 Sagarmala projects that have been delayed for almost a year in Maharashtra.
By prioritizing these action points, we can significantly contribute to the successful completion of the Sagarmala projects in Maharashtra, fostering economic growth and enhancing maritime infrastructure in the region’. It is to be noted that there are 126 projects worth Rs 1,13,285 crore, under the Sagarmala Programme are planned in Maharashtra. Out of these 126 projects, 46 projects worth Rs 2333 crore are partially funded by MoPSW and out of which 37 projects worth Rs 1,387 crore under Maharashtra State Government. Nine projects worth Rs 279 crore have been completed. 18 projects worth Rs 777 crore are under implementation and 10 projects worth Rs 331 crore are under development stage.
The detailed discussions were also made on Exemption/Relaxation on VAT for Bunker Fuels in RoRo/RoPax/Passenger Ferry Operations in Maharashtra, which accounts for over 20 per cent of the fuel cost for ferrry operations. The discussion also included the development of upcoming Vadhavan Port in Maharashtra. Vadhavan have natural drafts in excess of 18m that would enable ultra large container and cargo vessels to call on the portthereby boosting the efforts to make India a prominent destination for major shipping lines and provide required capacity to accommodate the future cargo growth in the hinterland served by the port. Sonowal said “Here Maharashtra has a unique opportunity to showcase its rich maritime heritage which would be state-
sponsored in which Maharashtra government can contribute significantly”.