Kolkata: Public, private partnership (PPP) in maritime sector, especially in port sector is crucial and with the collective steps of all stakeholders it is becoming a more efficient and better model, said Sanjay Bandopadhyaya, Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) here recently. “We have to innovate, customize the solutions, sit with all stakeholders to put everything in the concession agreement to the extent we can put in. Flexibility has to be also built in,” he added.

 Addressing the two-day ‘Maritime Public Private Partnership Conclave 2022’ organized by Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata with FICCI as an industry partner, Bandopadhyaya said that the technology is shifting towards higher efficiency which is throwing up new challenges. The next 25 years will witness significant changes in the entire sector including cargo and vessels. Highlighting the importance of PM Gati Shakti Master Plan, he said that the multi-modal connectivity is aimed at developing infrastructure to reduce logistic costs and boost the economy.

Vinit Kumar, Chairman, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, said: “We are celebrating the silver jubilee of PPP in the port sector and over Rs 20,000 crore have been invested in it under the PPP model which accounts for around 30 per cent of the total capacity in the port sector. “There is a pipeline of around Rs 28,000 crore in next 7-8 years which is a big boost for the shipping and port sector,” he added.

He further stated that most of the PPPs are taking place for berths and terminals and there is a lot of opportunity in connectivity and services. “We need to look at multi-modal transport including rail terminals. We also need to have more avenues in the shipping services sector where PPP should be introduced,” he added.
Dhruv Kotak, Chairman, Ports and Shipping, FICCI Committee on Transport Infrastructure and MD, JM Baxi Group, said that the National Monetization Pipeline has been a planned and structured manner that has been able to generate major interest globally and India is rightly placed to tap the opportunities.

Madhu S Nair, Chairman and Managing Director, Cochin Shipyard Ltd, said that the ship repair ecosystem is one of the most important enablers for the maritime sector. He also stated that for India to become a $5 trillion economy, it is imperative to bring down the logistics cost. “The PM Gati Shakti also highlights the need to bring down the total logistics cost in India which is around 14 per cent of the GDP today to 8 per cent at par with the international market,” he added.

Gopal Krishna, Principal Program Advisor, Cross Border Infrastructure and Connectivity Program, USAID and former Secretary, Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India, said that in the times to come, it is the policy of the government to give all business activities to the private sector. “We have to be easy on regulations but strong in governance,” he added. /BI/