Visakhapatnam Port Trust : Cruise terminal to be ready in a year

Visakhapatnam: The proposed cruise terminal developed with the support of the Tourism Ministry, has the ability to change the tourism landscape, Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur has said.

After laying the foundation stone for the cruise terminal at Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) channel berth in the outer harbour here on Friday, the Minister said work related to it would be completed in a year.

Explaining the target, the Minister stated, VPT is targeting 75 million tonnes of cargo handling by the next financial year.

Sharing details about the dedicated freight corridor of the Sagarmala project, the Minister mentioned that the exclusive railway link of Visakhapatnam to Raipur is likely to be completed in seven to eight months. As a part of the modernisation exercise, the Fishing Harbour will be developed at a cost of Rs 150 crore under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana and aims to bring out the blue revolution and sustainable development, Shantanu Thakur said.

Further, he mentioned that the VPT has been identified as the gateway port for the transportation of the Nepal cargo to the rest of the world.

Shantanu Thakur mentioned that the extension of the existing container terminal would be completed by another three months. Elaborating about the development plans, VPT chairman K Rama Mohana Rao said some of the berths of the VPT will be mechanised under PPP mode and seven projects are in progress in this regard.

About promotional activities in VPT, the VPT chairman informed that the activities would resume once the prevailing pandemic situation subsides.

Later, the Minister took pledge as a part of the 'Swachhta Pakhwada' programme and wielded a broom alongside the VPT chairman while participating in the cleanliness drive.