In a bid to push the development along the 720km-long indented coastline under the Centre’s Sagarmala programme, the Maharashtra Government on Monday formed a 10-member State Sagarmala Committee chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The committee’s mandate included coordination among various departments for projects to be implemented under the Sagarmala programme, policy guidance and fixing the priority of projects. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will be the co-chairman of the committee. Home department desk officer Ajit Tayade on Monday released the government resolution.
“If the 720km-long coastline is fully developed, it will boost the economic and social development of Maharashtra. Therefore, the implementation of the Sagarmala programme is in the state’s interest,” said Mr Tayade.
As part of the Sagarmala project, the Centre has prepared a National Perspective Plan (NPP) for the comprehensive development of India’s 7,500km coastline, 14,500km of potentially navigable waterways and the maritime sector.
The components of the programme consist of port modernisation and new port development which aims at de-bottlenecking and capacity expansion of existing ports and the development of new greenfield ports. The project also focuses on enhancing the connectivity of the ports to the hinterland, optimising the cost and time of cargo movement through multi-model logistics solutions including domestic waterways.
Port-linked industrialisation aims at the development of port-proximate industrial clusters and Coastal Economic Zones to reduce the logistics costs and time of EXIM and domestic cargo. Coastal Community Development envisages the promotion of sustainable development of coastal communities through skill development and livelihood generation activities, fisheries development and coastal tourism.
Moreover, the impetus is to move cargo through the sustainable and environment-friendly coastal and inland waterways mode.
