Media Release
Bengaluru, Aug 2: The ministry of shipping launched Sagarmala project in Karnataka on Friday July 31 at Hotel Taj West End, Bengaluru in the presence of chief secretary, government of Karnataka, additional secretary, union ministry of shipping, principal secretaries and senior officers from union and state governments, stakeholders and representatives from Chamber of Commerce, railways, FKCCI, FIEO and others.
'Sagarmala', the ambitious project of the union government has been envisioned to provide ports and the shipping the rightful place in the Indian economy and to enable port-led development. The prime objective of the project is to promote port-led direct and indirect development and to provide infrastructure to transport goods to and from ports quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively.
P C Parida, chairman, NMPT while welcoming the guests briefed about the importance of Sagaramala.
Addressing the gathering, Kaushik Mukherji, chief secretary, government of Karnataka requested the union government to include vital projects like four laning of Mangaluru-Hassan national highway and linking of Hubballi-Ankola railway line in the Sagarmala project, so as to ensure seamless movement of cargo to and from the port. He also emphasized the need for one more major port in north Karnataka for the overall development of that region. "Early completion of fisheries harbour in Mangaluru and relaxation of CRZ regulation for developing tourism should also be included in the Sagarmala project," he said. He assured his full support for implementing all the above projects.
R K Agarwal, joint secretary to government of India (Sagarmala), ministry of shipping, gave a presentation on the overall vision of Sagarmala project and its benefits to the state. Thereafter the stakeholders session deliberated the role of Sagarmala Development Company (SDC) and funding pattern of projects to be undertaken under Sagarmala. A K Saran, deputy secretary, union ministry of shipping thanked the dignitaries and the delegates.