Kolkata Port to witness 26 % ramp-up in capacity in next 8 years: AMTOI

The Managing Committee members of The Association of Multimodal Transport Association of India (AMTOI) recently held its meeting in Kolkata to discuss various trade related issues. The meeting was followed by a seminar on Eastern India Present and Future – Role of Kolkata Port. Rathendra Raman IRTS, Chairperson Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port was invited as the Chief Guest. He informed the delegates that Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port will see a near 26 per cent ramp-up in capacity over the next seven to eight years, backed by ongoing projects undertaken by the port and others that are in the pipeline. The total capacity is expected to increase to around 110 million tonnes by 2030. Capt Suji Basu Mazumdar was invited as the Guest of Honour, he focused on resolving the problems of multimodal transport operators and helping the supply chain. Special Guest was Eshor Raj Poudel- Counsel General of Nepal, he informed the house that Nepal is going to double its imports of fertilizers and all imports shall be using ports at Kolkata / Haldia.
However, he wondered why SPM Port is losing Nepal bound imports to Vizag as handling there is simplified and hoped sooner than later, Kolkata can also offer better rail connectivity with competitive pricing as Kolkata is near and dear port for imports to Nepal. He further informed that excess hydro power will be exported to India and that will august well for industries in Eastern Region of India. Xerrxes Master – President AMTOI said, “The main objectives of the association are to organize MTOs at National levels, to study the issues faced by MTOs and seek resolutions with the appropriate authorities, to promote Multimodal Transport services in domestic and foreign trade, to improve quality of such services while reducing transaction costs, skill development and to promote implementation of the cargo community system. It pains AMTOI to see the East slip from its past heights. He was however confident that the with the industrious people of Bengal, infra development and port capacity enhancement projects, that the Ports of Kolkata & Haldia will play a vital role in shaping up a brighter future for the region and our nation.”
The members talked about the trade activities in East, especially Bengal. It used to be the best performing state for industrial and agricultural produce and the port was biggest and busiest in country. However, due to various factors this position was lost and at present the region is struggling compared to the rest of the country. In 2022-23 while total merchandise exports of India were US$ 450.96 billion of this only 2.83% was from Bengal with the state’s exports pegged at Rs. 1 lakh crore.
The seminar was attended by around 150 delegates,followed by Networking Cocktail Dinner, where delegates freelymingledfor networkingwith each other.