Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Chairs First Meeting of State Sagarmala Committee, Prioritises Coastal Community Development

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik chaired the first meeting of the State Sagarmala Committee in Bhubaneswar on April 7, 2021.

During the meet, CM highlighted that the Sagarmala project can further enable Odisha to emerge as a major logistics destination.

Chief Minister Patnaik said that the Port-led development through industrialisation and connectivity is a major focus of Sagarmala projects. We will also be prioritising the Coastal community development as an integrated part of this initiative, he added.

The Sagarmala Project has a vision for port led development across the coast of India.  It aims at Port modernization, Port connectivity; Port led industrialization and Coastal community development.  The projects under this programme will get 50 per cent funding from the Government of India.

Under this programme, the State Government has submitted 14 nos. of projects of various departments including Fishers & ARD, Chilika Development Authority, Commerce & Transport and Works Department. Out of these only 2 projects of Commerce & Transport Department, Ro-Pax Jetty and Allied Infrastructure in Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balugaon and Puri districts have been sanctioned by Government of India.

The CM also said that Odisha has the advantage of being strategically located with a long coastline. We have a rich cultural heritage of maritime trade. We can become India’s gateway to South East Asian countries, he added.

Apart from the Paradip Port, our government has been facilitating the development of various ports all along Odisha’s coastline, he further added.

The Chief Minister further said that the State Maritime Board is expected to be fully functional in the coming months. Hopefully, the Board will act as a catalyst for overall development of the maritime sector in the State.

He asked for close coordination with various departments and resolving the issues for timely completion of projects under Sagarmala. He urged all the departments concerned to prioritise these projects.

As per the presentation, the State has three ports in operation – Paradeep, Dhamara and Gopalpur.  As many as four ports including Subarnarekha, Astharang, and Riverine port at Kendrapara and Jatadhar Muhan Port are in the pipeline.  Besides, there are 8 potential locations for development of ports.

IDCO CMD Shri Sanjay Singh said 3 logistic park projects at Dhamara, Gopalpur and Subarnarekha are under preparation.  The proposals will be sent soon. Other Departments were asked to finalise projects under Sagarmala project.