KANDLA PORT TRUST

Kandla, also known as the Kandla Port Trust is a seaport in Kutch District of Gujarat state in western India, near the city of Gandhidham. Located on the Gulf of Kutch, it is one of major ports on west coast. Kandla was constructed in the 1950s as the chief seaport serving western India, after the partition of India from Pakistan left the port of Karachi in Pakistan. The Port of Kandla is located on the Gulf of Kutch on the northwestern coast of India some 256 nautical miles southeast of the Port of Karachi in Pakistan and over 430 nautical miles north-northwest of the Port of Mumbai (Bombay). It is the largest port of India by volume of cargo handled. Kandla history kandla Port Trust, India's busiest major port in recent years, is gearing to add substantial cargo handling capacity with private sector participation. The west coast port handled 72.225 million tonnes of cargo in 2008-09, over 11 per cent more than 64.920 million tonnes handled in 2007-08.

Even as much of this growth has come from handling of crude oil imports, mainly for Essar Oil's Vadinar refinery in Gujarat, the port is also taking measures to boost non-POL cargo. Last fiscal, POL traffic accounted for 63 per cent of the total cargo handled at Kandla Port, as against 59 per cent in 2007-08. Although Kandla Port Trust officials declined to elaborate given the ongoing election code of

Kandla Port Trust

Business Development Cell,

P.O. Box 50,

Administrative Building,

Gandhidham,

Kutch, Gujarat

India - 370201

Phone : 91 (2836) 238055

Fax : 91 (2836) 239055

Email : bdc@kandlaport.gov.in

conduct, it is reliably learnt that the port will soon initiate the process of selecting developers for four clean cargo berths that together aim to handle 8 million tonnes of cargo. The four berths will be supported by a 14m draft capable of handling 75,000 dwt vessels. The port has already received encouraging response from prospective bidders, for the project that is estimated to cost nearly Rs 500 crore.

In News Mumbai Port Trust Chairman Ravi Parmar is now regular Chairman of Kandla port

The union shipping ministry after the govt nod has long last appointed Ravi Parmar as regular chairman of Kandla port Trust. Parmar being a regular chairman of Mumbai Port Trust and in charge chairman of KPT had to come every week-end to Kandla from Mumbai to look after the country’s number one major port which had remained ‘headless’ for two years after return of D P Waghela to his parent state of Gujarat on completion of his five year deputation as KPT chairman. Sources in KPT said that Parmar might assume new charge as regular chairman of KPT anytime from now.

Newly built and inaugurated artistic traffic island adds beauty to Kandla Port

Once a port with dirty looks, Kandla is has now cleaner looks, thanks to its on-going aggressive cleanliness campaign launched by KPT’s chairman Ravi Parmar. The Republic Day saw an addition of one more beautification aid: exotic traffic island close to main North Gage, meeting a cross road coming from the west gate which is mainly for entry and exist of goods carriage unlike the North gate which is for general purpose and small passengers vehicles.

It was inaugurated on January 26 again by the deputy chairman of the port. It has in its mid a huge bronze sculpture of anchor. The use of bronze instead iron or steel is to make it weather-resistant Though it aids to beauty of the area, it also helps in management of heavy vehicular traffic that mainly comes from the west gate a little away. This way it is a safety measure also.

Sources said that the entire cleanliness and beautification work inside the jetty area is personally overseen by the port’s energetic superintending engineer G H Gehani who is known for his land management acumen under the guidance of chief engineer R Murugadoss. The sources said that a total sum of Rs.50 lakhs would be spent on the entire project spread over five year. During his visit to the port on January 26 for coverage of RD function at Kandla, this reporter found the entire road leading from the national highway up to the north gate, had a line of ornamental trees in huge artistic vases. The sources said that the beautification work also included paintings of the port building inside the jetty areas and many beautifully painted buildings bore signs of real beautification work.