In Economic Review, Bengal govt. says Letter of Intent issued for development of Tajpur deep sea port

Earlier, on October 12, 2022 the State govt. issued LOI to the Adani Group as developers of Tajpur port

The Economic Review for the year 2023-24 tabled by the West Bengal government in the Assembly on February 15 shows that the Letter of Intent (LOI) has been issued for development of the Tajpur deep sea port.

In the Budget speech tabled in the Assembly on the same day, there is no mention of the Tajpur deep sea port or the Adani Group. However, the Budget tabled by Chandrima Bhattacharya, Minister of State for Finance (Independent Charge), for the financial year 2023-24 points out that the State government would be constructing an industrial and economic corridor connecting Tajpur (in Purba Medinipur) with Raghunathpur (in Purulia district).

“It will have three branches, namely Dankuni-Haldia, Dankuni-Raghunathpur, and Dankuni-Kalyani. It will have multiple economic regions, better connectivity with surrounding industrial zones and complementary infrastructure such as logistic parks, townships along with other urban amenities,” the Budget said, adding that the project would generate employment for about one lakh people.

 The State’s Budget for 2022-23 had, however, made reference to the Tajpur port and stated that for development of the proposed port ‘Request for Qualification cum Request for Proposal document (RFQ cum RFP)’ was floated in October 2021.

The Letter of Intent (LOI) was handed over to Karan Adani, CEO, of Adani Ports, on October 12, 2022 during a Bijaya Sammilani event where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was present. “Following the technical and financial evaluation and completion of all formalities, the Cabinet accorded approval for Issuance of Letter of Intent by the West Bengal Maritime Board for development of the Tajpur port to the successful bidder,” a press statement by the State government had said then.

 The site is located off Tajpur, around 170 km from Kolkata with a deep draft of 12.1 metres and the port would entail an investment of ₹15,000 crore and would create 25,000 jobs directly besides indirect jobs which would touch a lakh, according to the government.

“It will also be linked to the industrial and economic corridor from Dankuni to Raghunathpur, being developed by the State. Once functional, the port will improve regional logistics and export efficiency of the State and unlock huge industrial and economic opportunities,” the press statement had said.