River cruise service starts at Mormugao Port in Goa
Radiance News Service
Union Minister for Ports Shipping
and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the River Cruise Services at the
Marmugao Port in Goa today. He announced that Services will immediately begin
on all the proposed routes with its FRP double-deck boats to give the tourists
a complete experience of Goan culture and history. This will be a common user's
facility and any entrepreneur can venture into and start a new and similar type
of Service from this berthing facility, available in the Port. This opportunity
in Goa is to explore new ventures in river and island cruising which is not
tapped so far and it will be a unique opportunity to experience such an
unexplored venture in Goa.
The Minister also visited the Port's operational areas
including the Cruise Terminal Berth where the International & Domestic Cruise
Terminal is proposed to be set up and PPP Terminals operated by the South West
Port Ltd (SWPL) and Adani Mormugao Port Trust Pvt. Ltd. (AMPTPL) to inspect the
operations.
The Minister also held a meeting with the stakeholders
and local functionaries which provided an opportunity for them to directly
engage with the Minister
and share their perspectives on India’s growing maritime sector, improve the
coastal traffic in an effective way, and how maritime policies can contribute to
its overall growth. The Minister also held a discussion with Unions and
Associations operating in the Port for hearing their issues and suggestions for
the growth of MPT.
Port being a service industry is providing facilities for
both Exim and Domestic sectors. Mormugao Port being a unique port has multimodal
connectivity, excellent cargo handling facilities high productivity streamlined
administration, and a dedicated workforce all go towards making this Port one
of the most efficient on the Indian Subcontinent.
During his one-day schedule in Goa, the Minister will
deliberate with various stakeholders to augment MPT's potential in order to
cater to the needs of Trade and Industry and to contribute to the economic
development of the Nation. If all means of connectivity be it waterways,
airways or railways are brought together and they play their role unitedly for
the purpose of trade, or even providing the facilities to people within the proper
time then the state's economy will definitely be strengthened.
Under the Sagarmala scheme of the Ministry of Ports Shipping and Waterways, the following works are underway in the state of Goa.
(i) Construction of 9 Nos. Concrete Jetties at Durbhat, Cortalim-Rassaim, Old Goa-Divar, Sanvordem, Ribander, Aldona Banastarim, Pilgao, Shiroda at cost Rs.73.04 Cr.
(ii) Construction of 4 Nos. Floating Jetties (Captain of Ports Jetty, Old Goa jetty, Ferry Point jetty, Chapora Jetty) at cost of Rs.9.6 Cr.
The emphasis of Sagarmala funding is to mainly
focus on improving waterways connectivity to hinterlands and last-mile
connectivity to arterial roads so that passengers and cargo can move through
waterways to a large extent and reduce the load on roadways and thereby reduce
pollution. Sagarmala funding also intends to develop State of Art Ropeway in
Goa for which feasibility study is under progress.
Mormugao Port, the 32 years old port, expanded gradually over the years, meeting the demands of the growing trade for its service to the Nation.