Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, inaugurated the international cruise terminal at Visakhapatnam Port. The terminal was built as part of the Port Modernisation project. Once this terminal becomes operational, maritime tourism would get a boost, with the city getting connected to Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Kandla and Goa. This will lead to an increase in tourism and employment opportunities, he said.
“We will make Visakhapatnam a pollution-free city with all scientific measures. We are expanding the cargo facilities at VPA with state-of-the-art technologies,” he said.
The Minister also inaugurated covered storage shed-2 in port area, 1 world class truck parking terminal as well as 1 oil refinery berth, in an attempt to boost the capacity of the Vizag Port towards becoming a regional hub of cruise and cargo traffic in the near future.
The Union government has taken up 802 Sagarmala projects across the country at a cost of ₹5.60 lakh crore. Of these, Andhra Pradesh alone accounts for 113 projects worth about ₹1.23 lakh crore. Thirty-six projects, worth ₹32.210 crore, have already been completed, Mr. Sonowal said.
