Centre drops two key Project UNNATI initiatives at New Mangalore Port

In a written reply to Kota SrinivasaPoojary, Member of Parliament from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, SarbanandaSonowal, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said in the Lok Sabha that the project UNNATI was envisaged only for the major ports under the administrative control of the Union Ministry for Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

The initiatives to establish an LNG terminal at New Mangalore Port on a public-private partnership basis and to set up a mechanisedfertiliser handling berth with silo storage and a bagging plant have been dropped under Project UNNATI at New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA).

Giving reasons for dropping these initiatives, the Minister’s reply said the initiative to set up an LNG terminal was dropped due to the non-availability of sterile area in the port for the LNG terminal.The initiative to set up a mechanisedfertiliser handling berth with silo storage and a bagging plant was dropped due to negative market response, he said.

Other initiatives such as increasing container cargo by attracting customers from Mysuru and adjoining areas, improving the service level of containers and providing equipment at berth no. 8 for container handling, and reducing overtime costs by migrating to a three-shift deployment for tugs, pilot launches and mooring boats, have already been implemented, he said.

The Minister said that eight projects worth ₹493 crore have been sanctioned in Karnataka under the Sagarmala scheme. Three of the eight projects have already been completed, and five are under implementation.