Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK), has showcased its proposed Balagarh Extended Port Gate System to stakeholders from the trade and logistics industry, seeking participation in the ₹538.20-crore project aimed at easing congestion at the Kolkata Dock System (KDS) and strengthening inland waterway-based cargo transportation.
The roadshow was jointly organised by SMPK and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to highlight the project’s potential and encourage industry participation in its development.
Located at Balagarh in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, approximately 85 km upstream of the Kolkata Dock System along National Waterway-1, the project is designed to handle 2.7 million tonnes of cargo annually. According to SMPK Chairman Rathendra Raman, the facility is expected to support more efficient cargo movement while helping reduce congestion at the existing port facilities.
The Extended Port Gate System will include an Inland Water Transport (IWT) terminal and a Road Over Bridge (ROB), creating an integrated logistics facility to facilitate cargo movement through inland waterways and road connectivity.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Balagarh project on January 18 as part of a package of development initiatives in Hooghly district.
Once developed, the project is expected to strengthen multimodal connectivity, improve cargo evacuation and provide additional logistics infrastructure to support trade and industrial activity in the Kolkata-Hooghly region.