Modi said, “Today is a red letter day in the history of India. Be it territorial security or economic security, India is witnessing huge opportunities.”
Mangaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of mechanisation and industrialisation projects worth around Rs 3,800 crores in Mangaluru.
Modi said, “Today is a red letter day in the history of India. Be it territorial security or economic security, India is witnessing huge opportunities.” Recalling the commissioning of INS Vikrant earlier in the day, Modi exuded pride and said every Indian is experiencing it.
Referring to the projects inaugurated in Mangaluru, Modi said they will increase the ease of living and employment in Karnataka, especially, the ‘One District and One Product’ scheme which will facilitate the availability of market for the products of fishermen, artisans and farmers of the region.
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On the “prioritised” infrastructure development in the last eight years, Modi said that it is Karnataka that has benefited immensely from it. “Karnataka is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Sagarmala scheme,” Modi added.
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“Highway Projects worth Rs 70,000 crore have been added in the last eight years in the state and more than one lakh crore rupees worth of projects are in the pipeline,” he added. The railway budget for the projects in Karnataka increased fourfold in the last eight years.
What are the projects
Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of mechanisation and industrialisation projects worth around Rs 3,800 crores in Mangaluru.
Prime Minister inaugurated the project worth over Rs 280 crore for mechanisation of Berth No. 14 for handling containers and other cargo, undertaken by the New Mangalore Port Authority. The mechanised terminal will increase efficiency and reduce the turnaround time, pre-berthing delay and dwell time in the port by around 35%, thus giving a boost to the business environment. Phase I of the project has been successfully completed, thereby adding over 4.2 MTPA to the handling capacity, which would further increase to over 6 MTPA by 2025.
He also laid the foundation stones of five projects worth around Rs 1,000 crore, undertaken by the port. The integrated LPG and Bulk Liquid POL Facility, equipped with a state-of-the-art cryogenic LPG storage tank terminal, will be capable of unloading full load VLGC (very large gas carriers) of 45,000 tonne in a highly efficient manner. The facility will bolster the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in the region while reinforcing the port’s status as one of the top LPG importing ports in the country. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of projects for the construction of storage tanks and edible oil refinery, construction of bitumen storage and allied facilities and construction of bitumen and edible oil storage and allied facilities.
These projects will improve the turnaround time of bitumen and edible oil vessels and reduce the overall freight cost for trade. Modi also laid the foundation stone for the development of the Fishing Harbour at Kulai, which will facilitate safe handling of fish catch and enable better prices in the global market. This work will be undertaken under the umbrella of the Sagarmala Programme and will result in significant socio-economic benefits for the fishermen community.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated two projects undertaken by the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited viz BS VI Upgradation Project and Sea Water Desalination Plant. The BS VI Upgradation Project, worth around Rs 1,830 crore, will facilitate the production of ultra-pure environment-friendly BS-VI grade fuel (with sulphur content less than 10 PPM). The Sea Water Desalination Plant, set up at a cost of around Rs 680 crore, will help reduce dependency on fresh water and ensure a regular supply of hydrocarbons and petrochemicals throughout the year. Having a capacity of 30 Million Litres per Day (MLD), the plant converts seawater into water required for the refinery processes.
