Sonowal meets Maharashtra CM to expedite implementation of projects

New Delhi [India], February 21 (ANI): Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal met Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde in Mumbai on Tuesday.
During this meeting, various projects related to ports and the shipping sector in Maharashtra under the Sagarmala program of MoPSW (Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways) were discussed, said a press release by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
Sonowal said Maritime infrastructure plays a vital role in the nation's economy. Aligning with the Maritime India Vision 2030, the Sagarmala project of MoPSW is aimed at providing better facilities to the people in the coastal region. He said its initiatives will further boost infrastructure and drive investments to improve regional connectivity to aid trade. added the press release.
Sonowal said in the state of Maharashtra, there are 114 projects worth Rs. 99,210 Crore under Sagarmala Programme. Out of the 114 projects being implemented in Maharashtra, 43 projects worth Rs. 2121 Crore are partially funded by MoPSW. He said out of 43 projects, 37 projects worth Rs 1,388 Crore, 9 projects worth Rs 279 Crore have been completed, 17 projects worth Rs 666 Crore are under implementation and 11 projects worth Rs 443 Crore are under development stage.
The Minister said the Sagarmala initiative has successfully enabled the Indian ports to handle large volumes by making them more efficient and reducing the turnaround time of containers. He said numerous projects had been undertaken across various categories such as port modernization, rail, road, cruise tourism, RORO, ROPAX, fisheries, coastal infrastructure and skill development. He said currently under the Sagarmala programme of MoPSW, 31 Ro-Ro/Ro-Pax projects themselves are in the state of Maharashtra.
Sonowal said to celebrate the maritime activities of the coastal states of the country, the 'Coastal States Pavilion' has been proposed to be developed in the National Maritime Heritage Complex. He said accordingly for the state of Maharashtra, the land area of 14,000 sq. ft. with a construction area of 6,000- 8,000 sq. ft. has been identified in the periphery of the Coastal States Pavilion of the NMHC site.
Sonowal requested the Maharashtra State Government to avail of this opportunity and make a grand display of the Maritime History of the Maratha empire and Great Shivaji Maharaj. He further added that "as per the grand vision of our Hon'ble Prime Minister, the proposed NMHC will showcase the Indian Maritime History and will become an iconic destination in future".
Sonowal also highlighted the challenge with respect to the projects in the state of Maharashtra. He said, 'there are 16 Sagarmala-funded projects delayed for more than one year due to various technical issues and need immediate attention for their successful implementation.'
The Minister said MoPSW is providing the big push to Ro-Ro and Passenger transportation through waterways as it is the environment-friendly solution to mobility and resulting in significant savings of cost and time. ROPAX facilities are being developed by State or Central authorities and vessel deployment and services are carried out majorly by private players, he added.
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra committed to resolving the various issues and expediting the implementation of the projects at the earliest. (ANI)