Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday directed officials to prepare a detailed action plan for setting up the country’s largest shipyard in Maharashtra, citing the state’s 720-km coastline, the upcoming Vadhavan port and the maritime sector’s growth potential.
Fadnavis issued the instructions while reviewing works of the Ports Development Department at a meeting held in the ministerial council hall of Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur, where the state legislature is having its winter session, an official release said.
Fisheries and Ports Development Minister Nitesh Rane was present at the meeting.
The CM said a detailed project report must be readied at the earliest and the location for the mega shipyard finalised.
The proposed Vaibhavwadi (Sindhudurg district)-Kolhapur railway line will support the development of ports such as Angre, Redi and Vijaydurg, he noted.
Fadnavis told the meeting the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation is constructing a highway from the Vadhavan port in Palghar district adjoining Mumbai to Nashik, and stressed the need for a planned development strategy for areas on both sides of the corridor.
To promote industrial growth in port regions, a joint company should be formed by MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) and the Ports Department, he suggested.
Considering the scale of the upcoming Vadhavan port, a special planning authority should also be established for the integrated development of major ports and their surrounding areas, the Chief Minister maintained.
On the proposed Mumbai Water Metro project, Fadnavis said boats should eventually run on full-electric propulsion, with hybrid models used in the initial phase.
He stated that the project must be executed on a scale larger than that of Kochi and should include procurement of new vessels.
According to the release, Maharashtra currently handles 1.80 crore passengers annually across 36 water transport routes, including 1.6 crore on 21 routes in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
The proposed Mumbai Water Metro envisages 21 terminals and a 200-nautical-mile network. Work on the detailed project report is in progress, it added.