MPT to start Ro Ro
service
Sandesh Prabhudesai
20 April 2001
The Mormugao Port Trust is planning a special
berth for a roll on - roll off service, known more popularly
as Ro Ro service, through the Arabian sea from Goa to Mumbai.
Rather than loading general cargo, the berth
would provide a service to put loaded trucks and even passenger
cars on board, saving the fuel and depreciation cost of the
vehicles while also avoiding other risks confronted on the
road.
The Konkan Railway Corporation has launched
the similar service along the same
route, which has gained quite a good response so far.
The MPT has thought of it as the Jawaharlal
Nehru Port Trust of Mumbai is also planning for a similar
service.
The project worth around Rs 15 crore is part
of a bigger plan to develop the Vasco Bay behind the port
town, investing around Rs 165 crore on BOT basis, while expecting
at least Rs 95 crore from the private sector.
"Some of the fishing companies have expressed
willingness to take up the project", states Dr Jose Paul,
the MPT chairman. He would be shortly placing before the board
of trustees the final report by M/s Frederic R Harris (India)
Pvt Ltd, after which it would be forwarded to the concerned
ministries for environmental clearance.
The ambitious project also includes construction
of two more general cargo berths, a fishing jetty, a jetty
for port crafts and yet another jetty for the Coast Guard.
The ministry for agriculture, the Coast Guard as well as the
MPT is also thus investing the balance amount into it.
The port authorities expect to complete the
project in next three years, provided all the environmental
clearances are sought within one year.
Besides this, another private project of
two more berths 5A and 6A is expected to be operational by
November next year. The project worth Rs 250 crore has been
licenced to M/s ABG Port Ltd for a period of 30 years. It
would handle around 5 MT of coal and other general cargo annually.
The MPT's yet another prestigious project
worth Rs 80 crore to construct the 18 km-long four-lane highway
from Verna to Harbour is also expected to be completed by
December next year. The Border Roads Organisation has already
completed four kms stretch of it.
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