Projects worth Rs. 55 crores launched at Visakhapatnam Port by Union Minister

On 24 February 2022, the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, launched projects worth Rs 55 crores at Visakhapatnam Port. Members of Parliament MVV Satyanarayana, Satyavathi & Madhavi, ZP Chairman Subadhra, and MLCs Madhav and Kalyani accompanied Visakhapatnam Port Chairman K Ram Mohan Rao IAS in the welcoming ceremony of the Union Minister. The Sagaramala Convention Hall, which was constructed with a budget of Rs. 25 crores, was ceremonially inaugurated by Minister Sonowal.

Over the years, the Visakhapatnam Port served as a major contributor to the import and export domain in the country. With an annual cargo tonnage of 72.72 million tonnes, this port on the east coast plays a key role in the sector. To further closely monitor the heavy inflow and outflow of containers, a technologically advanced container scanner has been inaugurated on Thursday at the Visakhapatnam Port. This brand new facility is worth Rs. 30 crores and will aid the authorities in the prevention of wrong declaration, concealed smuggling, and provision of better security.

Upon the inauguration of these projects, the Union Minister took a short inspection tour around the Visakhapatnam Port in the Ocean Swan-4 tug boat. As a part of his visit to Visakhapatnam, the minister formally inaugurated a project to plant 4.5 lakh saplings, which is worth Rs. 4 crores.

The Union Minister, who arrived in Visakhapatnam on 23 February 2022, has inaugurated several other development projects in the city. Centre of Excellence in Maritime and Shipbuilding (CEMS) was formally inaugurated on Wednesday. On 23 February, he visited the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) office in Visakhapatnam. A dredging museum named Nirakshan Sadhan was inaugurated during his visit, on the occasion of 45 years of DCI.