Odisha government signs MoU for expansion of Gopalpur port

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government signed an MoU with Gopalpur Port for development and expansion of the facility in Ganjam district. Odisha government on Saturday handed over more than 119 acres of land to Gopalpur Port after the signing of the MoU. The MoU was signed by Director, Ports and Inland Waterway Transport, Commerce and Transport department, Padmalochan Roul, and CEO, Gopalpur Port Private Limited, Janardan Rao, in the presence of Commerce and Transport minister Tukuni Sahu on Saturday. Gopalpur Port was operated by Odisha government as a seasonal lighterage Port from 1986-87. The port was awarded to Gopalpur Ports Private Limited for transforming it into an all-weather direct berthing port in PPP mode. The Concession Agreement between Odisha government and Gopalpur Ports Private Limited was signed on September 14, 2006. At present, the port has three berths built over a length of 800 metres to accommodate multiple vessels with an annual cargo handling capacity of 20 MMT. This port has generated direct and indirect employment opportunities for 8,000 persons.