CM Patel praises Gujarat's development as maritime hub

Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], September 12 (ANI): Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, praised the Narendra Modi government for making Gujarat a maritime success story while addressing the International Conference on Green Ship Recycling and Vehicle Scrapping in Gandhinagar on Monday.
"Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendrabhai Modi, Gujarat is now moving towards port-led development. Gujarat is India's coastal gateway. The state is home to Alang, the largest ship-breaking yard in the world. Just like in the ship breaking-recycling sector, Gujarat will also be a dominant power in green recycling."
The BJP leader further said that the Gujarat government is committed to making Gujarat a global center for green recycling.
"Gujarat has the potential and the political will to become a hub for green ship recycling. The Gujarat government is committed to making Gujarat a global center for green recycling. Alang also has a well-developed ecosystem and capacity for vehicle scrapping and will contribute majorly to the vehicle scrapping policy" CM Gujarat added.

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal also addressed the public and said that Gujarat is the business gateway of India and one of the world's preferred maritime destinations.
"With a coastline of 1,600 km, Gujarat handles over 40% of India's cargo throughput and contributes 18% of the total cargo transported using coastal shipping. Gujarat was the first state in India to privatize the port sector. It has emerged as the flag bearer of India's maritime success story by the virtue of its strategic location, proactive policies, and robust infrastructure. India is a leading destination for ship recycling and the planned doubling of capacity of Alang-Sosiya shipyard in Gujarat will create a large number of employment opportunities and bring in more economic prosperity to Gujarat and the country,"
Sonowal also talked about the Sagarmala program and said that it has given impetus to the thriving maritime sector in Gujarat with projects such as port modernization, rail, road, cruise tourism, RO-RO & passenger jetties, fisheries, coastal infrastructure, skill development, etc.
"There are 74 projects worth Rs. 57,000 crores under the Sagarmala Programme in Gujarat, of which 15 projects worth Rs. 9,000 crores have been completed, 33 projects worth over Rs. 25,000 crores are under implementation and 26 projects worth Rs. 22,700 crores are under development," he said.
Union Minister Sonowal also visited the site of the proposed National Maritime Heritage Complex near Lothal and reviewed the progress of the project in presence of senior officers of the Government of Gujarat and the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways.

The International Conference on Green Ship Recycling and Vehicle Scrapping has been organized in Gandhinagar by the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Gujarat Maritime Board in coordination with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
The conference is showcasing the current status of the ship recycling industry in Gujarat and the adoption of HKC Convention compliances.
The conference is also facilitating discussion on how the EU shipping industry can take advantage of ship recycling facilities in Gujarat, and explore partnerships with EU member countries.
The project is being developed by the Government of India through MoPSW for an estimated amount of Rs.3500 crores. The proposed Complex would showcase India's rich and diverse maritime heritage and will be the first of its kind in the country and one of the world's largest maritime museums dedicated to the legacy of the maritime heritage of India. (ANI)