By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, OCT 01, 2014: THE government proposes to finalize the Sagar Mala concept soon to implement the project.

In his first address to the Parliament after the new government was formed the President of India on 9th June 2014, enunciating the policies of the new government stressed that the Government would evolve a model of Port-led development by stringing together the Sagar Mala project which would not only connect the ports with the hinterland through road and rail, but also develop the Inland and coastal waterways as a major transport routes.

“Sagar Mala” was an initiative that was announced by the then Prime Minister of India on the Independence Day in 2003 with the objective of achieving rapid capacity expansion and modernization of Ports along India's East and West Coast. The Sagar Mala project envisaged developing India's ports to levels comparable with the best global ports in terms of infrastructure, efficiency and quality of service, increasing the tonnage capacity, upgrading and creating ship building and ship repair facilities and increase the use of inland waterways for transportation.

The Ministry of Shipping being the nodal point for THE Sagar Mala Project, it today held a brain storming session under the chairmanship of Secretary, Shipping Mr Vishwapati Trivedi. 45 stakeholders represented from Ministry of Railways, Surface Transport & Highways, DIPP, Planning Commission, Customs, Major and Minor Ports, State Maritime Boards, ADB and representatives from trade and industry such as CII, FICCI, INSA, and ICCSA participated. The focus of conference was (i) Initiatives to be taken for Port led development (ii) Policy framework to promote coastal Shipping and Inland water transport (iii) Institutional framework for implementation of the Sagarmala project.

A concept note prepared by the Ministry has perceived Sagar Mala as an integrated infrastructure cum policy project to develop the Indian Maritime sector. The concept paper has proposed that the growth of India's maritime sector be achieved by developing Maritime Economic Regions (MER). The draft concept note has suggested that an MER would be a Regional Ports System comprising of a cluster of Major Ports and Non-Major Ports and the development of an MER would involve development of ports, port based SEZs, coastal industrial clusters and other port based industries. The MER envisages that it would be linked with road, inland waterways transport and airport projects to have the best connectivity.

Today's conference also deliberated on an institutional arrangements for implementation of Sagar Mala, such as setting up a Sagar Mala Development Authority which will implement the development plans for the MER in coordination with various developmental agencies of Central and State Governments. It was felt that a legislative framework may be essential to implement the Sagarmala concept.