The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP), renamed in 2020, has seen a 14.75 per cent jump in cargo movement in the last quarter of the current fiscal. It handled 54.254 million tons in the first ten months of the fiscal year, thus securing a fifth position among the major Indian riverine ports, up from sixth.
The port has two docks, Kolkata Dock System (KDS) and Haldia Dock Complex (HDC). Both the docks recorded a year-on-year growth of over fifteen per cent this year to reach 40.162 million tons (HDC) and 14.092 million tons (KDS) of cargo. Moreover, the traffic from the rail reached 28.82 million tons and turned out to be a significant contributor to the port’s growth.
LPG, pulses/peas, vegetable oil, iron and steel, manganese ore, coking and non-coking coal, limestone, and fly ash were the major commodities pushing the freight movement through the port. SMP is projected to handle over 65 million tons of cargo in FY 22-23, up from 58.175 million tons the previous fiscal.
The port aims to implement ₹2,400 crores projects under the National Gati Shakti to make Kolkata a leading cruising point of the eastern region. It is also planning a ₹66 crores project to build up to four cruise terminals, beautify the riverfront, and begin commercial development on a 31-acre area at Khidderpore in South-west Kolkata.
