Govt to link major ports with rail, four-lane road

NEW DELHI: The government plans to have at each major port a minimum four-lane road connectivity and a double line rail connectivity by March 2012, says an official data.

In all, 276 projects costing about Rs 55,804 crore have been identified, of which 48 projects have been completed, 70 are under implementation and 89 projects are under planning, according to data from the Shipping Ministry.

The projects are part of the government's National Maritime Development Programme, a Rs 61,000-crore project to boost infrastructure at ports.

India has 12 major ports - Kandla, Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru, Marmagao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Kolkata, Haldia, Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Chennai and Tuticorin.

These ports in the country handle close to 72 per cent of the total sea-borne traffic.

The traffic at major ports in 2011-12 is projected at 615.70 million tonnes and a capacity of about 800 million tonnes is required to meet it.

The country's port sector is facing a number of challenges, including problems in acquiring land for projects, getting environmental clearance, and labour issues.