Phase-1 of Gopalpur Port to be completed by March 2013

Cargo-handling capacity pegged at 3.5 million tonne with construction of one berth initially

The first phase of Gopalpur port being developed by Gopalpur Port Ltd is likely to be completed by March, 2013, an official said. "The work is under progress and all efforts are being made to begin cargo handling by March 30, 2013," one of the directors of GPL M M Moharana said. 

The cargo-handling capacity would be around 3.5 million tonne with the construction of one berth initially, he said. GPL will construct three berths -- coal, iron and multipurpose in the same year, he added. Besides the port work, other supporting infrastructure like power distribution system, railway and road connectivity are under process to meet the deadline, he said. He, however, said construction was hampered due to agitation by some people.

 "We are trying our best to meet their demands. We have decided to involve some prominent persons of the area, including local MLAs (Gopalpur and Chhatrapur and MP from Berhampur) to sort out their problem," Moharana said. The company director said the Gopalpur Port Dock Workers' Union affiliated to the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) threatened to launch an agitation following injury of a worker allegedly due to attack by the GPL officials.

 Company officials, however, claimed that the attacker was not an employee of the Gopalpur Port Ltd. GPL was awarded the project for the development of an all weather port by the state government with an investment of around Rs 1,700 crore in 2008. "We have already invested around Rs 320 crore so far in the port project," Mohrana said.

Source: Business Standard

Cyrus Mistry meets Naveen Patnaik; TATA asked to give detail implementation plan for Gopalpur Industrial Park

• Chairman Designate of Tata Sons Cyrus Mistry meets Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik

• TATA group proposes a 500 bedded hospital and a skill development center in Ganjam under CSR
• Odisha Chief Minister reviews the progress of the proposed Industrial Park at Gopalpur
• Tata Steel as anchor tenant is developing the Industrial Park at Gopalpur
• The Centre has already granted in-principle approval for a multi-product SEZ at Gopalpur
• The feasibility study and design plan of the Gopalpur SEZ has been completed by Ernst & Young
• Technical feasibility report on Gopalpur SEZ has been prepared by Jurong International, Singapore
• RITES Ltd., a Govt of India Enterprise has completed the survey work for road and railway connectivity
• National Institute of Oceanography has completed CRZ study for the Gopalpur SEZ

The Odisha Government has asked Tata Steel to submit a detailed implementation plan with specific time line for the development of the proposed industrial park at Gopalpur in Ganjam district. Chairman Designate of Tata Sons Cyrus Mistry who was on his maiden visit to Odisha held detailed discussion with Chief Minister on various projects including the industrial park at Gopalpur. Though it has been termed as “courtesy call”, but sources said Mr.Mistry and his able Deputy, the Managing Director of Tata Steel, H M Nerurkar held detailed discussion with the Chief Minister in presence of top mandarins.

The Centre has already granted in-principle approval for a multi-product SEZ at Gopalpur and Tata Steel as anchor tenant is planning to develop an industrial park. To be developed over an area of 2,952 acres, the industrial park has the potential to attract investments of around Rs 15,000 crore, company sources said adding, eight to 10 prospective anchor investors in sectors like engineering and downstream industries have evinced interest to invest in it. The Industrial Park will be developed over an area of 2952 acres with Resource Based Metal Industry Cluster, Power Plant, Auto Engineering Steel Down Stream Cluster, Mixed Cluster, Water Reservoir, Integrated Logistics and Non-Processing Zone to house social infrastructure required for the units in industrial park. It has been proposed that anchor investment will be done in Long Product Mill ( Steel Bar & Rods) with 400,000 TPA, Ferro Chrome Plant with 55,000 TPA, and Desalination Plant with 1.2 MGP per day. Land requirement for all theses anchor investments will be around 400 acres and the water source will be the sea water along with harvested rain water. Reviewing the development of Industrial Park Chief Secretary has asked TATA to submit a detail implementation plan with specific time limits for commencement and completion of each activity. The issues relating to land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation were also reviewed in the meeting.

While Tata Steel is setting up an Industrial Park and developing it as SEZ at Gopalpur, the State Government’s demand is for another steel complex by Tata Steel, said an official source. Chief Minister has asked to scale up their initiatives under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Odisha. Mr.Patnaik during his hour long meeting with Cyrus Mistry, Chairman Designate of Tata Sons today said that a 500 bedded hospital in Ganjam and four centres for skill development centres to be set up.

Source: Tathya.in, Orissadiary.com, New Indian Express

Tata Steel reserves berth at Gopalpur Port

• Jindal Company also visited Gopalpur port to get a reserve berth

• Tata Steel would construct a hospital at Tata rehabilitation colony at Sitalapalli, Berhampur

At a time when the demand for returning the lands acquired for industries in Ganjam district is growing shriller, The Tata Steel Managing Director’s visit to Ganjam district seems to have settled things for now.

Tata Steel MD HM Nerurkar along with vice-president for Orissa Projects of the Company Hrideyshwar Jha visited Ganjam district on Tuesday to take stock of the progress of the proposed projects. They had an informal meeting with Ganjam District Collector Kishen Kumar and Managing Director of Gopalpur Ports Limited (GPL) Mahimanandan Mishra.

Gopalpur Industrial Park project is planned on 3,300 acres of land taken over by the company in 1995 for its now shelved mega steel plant project near Gopalpur port.

Tata Steel, being the anchor investor, has announced a ferrochrome industry with a capacity of around 55,000 tonne a year besides four million tonne capacity rubber industry and a desalination plant. The three units are scheduled to go for production from 2013.

However, as no progress was made even after seven months of the foundation, the displaced families whose lands were acquired started agitation demanding return of their lands.

According to the discussion between Tata Steel, GPL and district administration, Tata Steel would have its own berth and a jetty at Gopalpur Port at Rs. 60 crore for transportation of its proposed production.

However, till the construction of the berth, the port would provide a rebate of around 50 per cent to Tata Steel for transportation.

Tata Steel would construct a hospital in the vacant land at the Tata rehabilitation colony at Sitalapalli for the convenience of port and Tata employees and the GPL authorities would establish a school in the port’s vicinity, in order to reduce dependence on Berhampur.

Meanwhile, a team of officials of Jindal Company also visited the Gopalpur port to get a reserve berth.

Source: IBN Live

CM lays foundation stone for Tata Industrial Park and inaugurates STPI in Berhampur

Tata Industrial Park at Gopalpur near Berhampur city 

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone of Tata Industrial Park at Gopalpur today. Tata Steel managing Director H.M. Nerukar was also present while laying the foundation. Tata Group will start the project by setting up a Ferrochrome plant and a bar mill as anchor industries for the Industrial Park. The project is likely to be completed in two years time and provide employment opportunity to about 1000 people.

Berhampur city in Orissa gets country's 51st STPI

Bhubaneswar: The Orissa chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, along with the Union minister for Communication and Information Technology, Sachin Pilot, inaugurated the country's 51st Software Technology Park of India (STPI) at Ambapua, on the outskirts of Berhampur city, about 165 km away from here, on August 20.

"The STPI has built an ultra-modern IT infrastructure having fully furnished 10,000 sq ft built up space over an area of 5 acres at a cost of Rs 5 crore to nurture the need of local enterpreneurs and professionals to explore global opportunities in IT and ITES exports," said state IT minister Ramesh Majhi.

Speaking on the occasion,Pilot said that the Centre has provided Rs 292 crore to the Orissa government for IT related initiatives. He said that two IT pilot projects on rural health are now on in Orissa's Ganjam and Mayurbhanj districts.

Berhampur STPI is the thrid such centre in Orissa after Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. In July 2005, an MoU was signed between the state government and the STPI for setting up the centre in southern Orissa. The chief minister had laid the foundation stone for the project on December 13, 2006.