Unprecedented job opportunities due projects and investments related to the port believes Bhumiraj Group CMD By A Correspondent, Navi Mumbai Navi Mumbai’s development in the new future is tied in a big way to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) which holds unprecedented opportunities of employment due to the mega projects and thousands of crores of investment planned with respect to it declares the chairman and managing director of Bhumiraj Group, Bhupendra Shah. Chairman Trustee Board of Builders Association of Navi Mumbai (BANM), Shah firmly believes that Navi Mumbai is set for the next stage of development with JNPT being the catalyst in this new phase of progress.
Speaking on the importance of the port, Shah says, “The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had in 1980 given instructions with regard to setting up of JNPT. Later Rajiv Gandhi as the PM visited Nhava Sheva several times once construction started in 1986. He inaugurated the port in May 1989 with then state chief minister Sharad Pawar.” He added, “In 2015 Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the 4th container terminal, in 2017 shipping minister Nitin Gadkari laid foundation for Rs 1,117 cr projects at the port and in 2018 Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the 4th container terminal. The prime ministers have sent a strong message on the JNPT vision.” Adds Bhupendra Shah, “11 decades old Sir Mohamed Yusuf Seamen Welfare Foundation’s Training Ship Rahaman is a prime example of its importance. The Foundation had received acquisition notice for its entire campus by the government of Maharashtra in 1973. However, Indira Gandhi ordered in 1980 that no further acquisition will be done in Nhava and that the institution will be allowed to conduct its activities.”
On the road ahead, the Bhumiraj Group CMD informed, “JNPT, for its SEZ, has plans to attract Rs 4,000 crore in investments. The draft proposal envisages 72,600 direct job opportunities. The SEZ will generate employment for 1.50 lakh people with a multiplier effect. There will be housing schemes around the SEZ.” He added, “Despite the world wide covid pandemic, in February, JNPT chairman Sanjay Sethi signed more than 30 MOUs worth Rs 27,000 crore with potential investors. These were for port projects, technology transfer and development of plots in JNPT SEZ.”
The MoUs are for manufacturing, IT services, warehousing/cold storage, FTWZ, pharma, confectionery manufacturing, engineering services, food processing among others. The companies involved are DP World, JM Baxi & Co, Ganesh Benzo, BPCL, NITIE, SSG Pharma Pvt. Ltd, Sooraj Agro, JWR logistic, Cineline India Ltd. etc. Revealing the Bhumiraj CMD said, “A whopping 18 jetties are coming up in the region in a few years. Big names like Nikhil Gandhi, Reliance and Adani are involved. Imagine the employment they will generate” Speaking on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor, he says “The 1483 km broad gauge freight corridor under construction by Indian Railways will connect Dadri near Delhi with JNPT in Navi Mumbai. It will ensure that the containers move from the port to the hinterland and vice versa in a smooth fashion.” Informed Shah, “Earlier this year, JNPT performed a trial run for the operation of freight trains loaded with “dwarf containers”, which is a first at any Indian port.”
He explained, “Through this revolutionary concept cargo movement for export and import will be through double-stacked dwarf containers. This has cost advantages to the parties and the rail traffic at JN Port will increase.” Speaking of yet another project, Bhupendra Shah said, “The 126 km long Virar-Alibaug Multi Modal Corridor connecting to Chirner JNPT will be a crucial step towards development, strengthening and creating job opportunities in areas of Panvel, Taloja and Uran. The Corridor will also be useful for the development of Navi Mumbai International Airport, JNPT Port, MTHL and Dedicated Freight Corridor. It will carry all the traffic from JNPT towards Navi Mumbai and Thane outside the city and reduce traffic congestion within the city.” According to Shah, “Regional Park Zone that is planned over 1,850 hectares, will be used for housing, open spaces and entertainment facilities.”
Shah concludes, “JNPT is not just the biggest port in the country handling cargo. It is an economy booster that brings with it various industries, services and infrastructure and so naturally upgradation of quality of life for the people who will come here. Navi Mumbai’s future is linked strongly to JNPT and it is a good one.”
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