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NMPT: Mechanised berth to start from March

Mangaluru:  The completely mechanized berth which has been constructed at New Mangalore Port (NMPT) at the cost of Rs 469.46 crore will start functioning at the end of March, informed M T Krishna Babu, president of the port committee at a press conference.

The construction of the no 16 berth at the port has been completed by Chettinad Mangluru Coal Terminal Limited and is completely mechanized and all types of coal will be managed through this mechanical system. The proposal to mechanise the no 14 berth in two phases at the cost of Rs 280.71 crore has been sent to the government for its permission. It has been aimed to create a new multi-purpose no 18 berth at the cost of Rs 200 crore.

Rs 492.5 crore income in 9 months

NMPT has earned a total income of Rs 492.5 crore in the 3rd quarter from April to December in the year 2018-19. The income for the same period in the year of 2017 was Rs 408.47 crore. The profit in this is Rs 243.35 crore and in comparison to last year has progressed by 55%. Last year the profit was Rs 156.16 crore and in a span of 9 months, 31.91 million tonnes of goods have been managed which has progressed by 2.89% in comparison to the last year. 99,856 TEU container cargos has been managed with a progress of 23%. A total of 14 cruise ships have arrived and in this cycle altogether 32 cruise ships are expected to call on to the port, he explained.

It has been aimed to conduct dredging at NMPT canal to permanently maintain its depth at 14 meters. A container scanner will be installed at the cost of Rs 28 crore.

Jetty at Kulai soon

The process for the creation of the fisheries jetty at Kulai will be started soon. By the end of this month, work on the breakwater will be started. The cost of this project will be borne by 50% under the sagar mala, 45% by NMPT and 5% by the state government. The union government has already released the money to the state government, explained Krishna Babu.

“Swachhata Survekshan” award for the 2nd time

Of the 12 major ports in the country, New Mangalore port has been awarded the “Swachhata Survekshan” award for the second time for its clean environment. The award is being presented by the Indian governments Ministry of Shipping based on the report provided by Quality Council of India which is an independent institution. Altogether there are 1,000 points out of which, NMPT gained 850 points, explained Mr Babu. The road leading to Panambur beach is being upgraded into a concrete road at the cost of Rs 2.3 crore. Street lamps will be installed at the cost of Rs 40 lakh, he said.

Fully equipped washrooms at tourist places

Fully equipped washrooms will be constructed on behalf of the New Mangalore Port committee at four prominent tourist places visited by tourists coming via ships, informed Mr Babu. The washrooms will be constructed at the cost of Rs 1.5 crore through the committee’s CSR funds. A washroom each will be built at Kadri Manjunatha Kshetra, Kudroli Gokarnatha Kshetra, Moodbidri Thousand pillar basadi and at Karkala. The washrooms will be designed similar to the ones at Mangaluru international Airport (MIA). The washrooms will be functional 24 hrs a day and can be used by all tourists.

Drinking water at 20 places

Drinking water units in the model of kiosks will be installed at 20 places in Mangaluru city with high people density. Drinking water will be provided through the units at the cost of Rs 1 for 1 liter of drinking water. It has been decided to create a smart card facility costing Rs 20-30 to avail the water facility. Water can be availed by swiping the cards, he informed.