Vice President Venkaiah Naidu takes a tour of the Visakhapatnam Port

“The shipping sector plays a vital role in the Indian economy. More efforts are needed to keep the Indian shipping industry at the forefront of the world,” said Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on his visit to the Visakhapatnam Port on Saturday. The Vice President calls for making India a leading maritime nation and emphasised the important role ports will have to play in achieving this ambitious vision. He also held a meeting with Chairman of the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) K Rama Mohan Rao. 

A presentation was given by the Port Chairman to the Vice President on various activities of the port, its expansion plans including the proposed establishment of a Rs 406-crore Free Trade and Warehousing Zone (FTWZ) in an area of 103 acres. The proposed FTWZ is to be funded under the Sagarmala and a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) and will be set up to develop basic infrastructure like roads, electricity, rail and road connectivity.

Observing that India is strategically located on the world’s shipping routes with a long coastline of about 7,517 km and over 200 major and minor ports, the Vice President said that these ports play an important role in India’s economy. He recalled that ancient India was a great maritime power and that the navies of the Chola and Kalinga dynasties used to rule over the oceans. “We have to regain that past glory,” the Vice President said. 

Touching upon the development of the port infrastructure in the country, VP Naidu said that as part of the ambitious Sagarmala project, more than 504 development works have been identified to unlock the opportunities for port-led development and these initiatives are expected to mobilise more than Rs 3.57 lakh crore of infrastructure investment.

Noting the decline in the cargo trend at Visakhapatnam Port in 2020-21 due to the pandemic, after a healthy upward swing between 2015-16 and 2019-20, he expressed the hope that the port would regain its growth trajectory once the situation normalises. “It is important to note that ports will play an important role in the post-Covid economic recovery of the nation,” he added.

He lauded the ports for having played a proactive role in handling oxygen supply and humanitarian relief work during the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic and cyclones Tauktae and Yaas. 

Referring to the Maritime India Vision 2030, Vice President Naidu wanted the Visakhapatnam Port to adopt globally accredited practices in port operations and development. “Vision 2030 is not impossible to achieve as India has the inherent strength of knowledge and everyone should work together in the spirit of Team India,” he highlighted. During the interaction, the Vice President was keen to know the measures taken by the Port Trust to contain pollution and protect the environment, focusing especially on renewable energy and energy conservation techniques.