Even as India aims to double port capacity to 1,500 million tonnes by 2011-12, industry experts today stressed on the need to have a faster decision making process.
Speaking at a conference here today, the Shipping Secretary, Mr A.P.V.N. Sarma, said that capacities of major ports would be increased to 1,000 mt and those of non-major ports to 500 mt.
Investments of Rs 1,00,000 crore would be required in the port and shipping sectors, Mr Sarma said on Wednesday. The port sector would require investment of Rs 55,000 crore while shipping and inland waterways would need another Rs 45,000 crore by 2015, he told reporters at a conference organised by Assocham.
"We will require Rs 1,00,000 crore by 2015 in ports, shipping and inland waterways," Mr Sarma said.
The Assocham President, Mr Venugopal N. Dhoot, said the Government would remain under huge pressure to provide adequate infrastructure to industry to ensure that investment from within and outside is properly absorbed.
"Fifty-six per cent of port development programmes announced do not take off on time, said Mr S.N. Srikanth, Senior Partner, Hauer Associates, a consulting firm.
Mr B.N. Puri, Principal Advisor (Transport), Planning Commission, said that the Planning Commission was finalising a policy framework to handle problems of logistics so that delivery of goods is made to end-user without much of transaction costs. The transaction costs both for exports and imports have gone up from 12 per cent in 2006-07 and likely to exceed 14.4 per cent in current fiscal.
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