Lok Sabha Question No. 3380 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-05
Subject: Status of Mannar CEZ
Ministry: PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS
Asked by: K. Shanmuga Sundaram

## GOVERNMENT  OF INDIA

## MINISTRY  OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO, 3380

ANSWERED ON O5/08/2022

## STATUS OF MANNAR CEZ

## 3380. SHRI SHANMUGA SUNDARAM  K.:

Will the Minister  of PORTS,  SHIPPING  AND WATERWAYS be pleased  to state: Tf,{, +dcft-€{  iltiR-mcFf d'"n

- (a) the status of Mannar CEZ, Poompuhar CEZ and VCIC South CEZ  proposed
- under Sagarmala Scheme,
- (b) the details of the status of the proposed Colachel (Enayam)  and Sirkazhi ports;
- the details  of the estimated  date of opening  of these  ports,  and (c)
- (d)
- the details  of the CEUS and PLICS under the said three CEZ?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS (SHRI SARBANANDA  SONOWAL)

(a)& (d)

Under the National Perspective  Plan of the Sagarmala  Programme, fourteen  Coastal Economic  Zones (CEZ) were envisaged including  three in the state of Tamil Nadu. Subsequently,  it was proposed to create an institutional framework and develop one CEZ project on a pilot basis for enabUng Port Led lndustrialization and incentivize employment  generation.  The proposal  was taken up with the Department  of Expenditure  which recommended  that Ministry  of Ports, Shipping  and WateMays should explore possibility  of development  of a CEZ with land available with the Major Ports duly taking into consideration other initiatives of Government of lndia.

National lndustrial Corridor  Development and lmplementation Trust (NlCDlT) under the administrative  control of Department  for Promotion  of lndustry and lnternal Trade(DPllT) in partnership  with respective  State Govt(s)  has planned  to develop various industrial corridor  projects as parl of National lndustrial Corridor Programme which is aimed at development  of  greenfield  industrial region/nodes  in lndia. Government of lndia has accorded  approval  for development  of 11 corridors (32 projects)  in Four Phases  as part of National l\4aster Plan for providing  multimodal connectivity  to  economic  zones which are under various stages of conceptualization/developmenUimplementation.

Accordingly, lvlinistry has requested  DPIIT to collaborate  with Major Ports and develop land available with them as industrial nodes/ cluster for achieving synergy and avoid duplication.

Also, more than 8000 Acres of land have been used for lndustrialization by Major Ports.

(b)& (c) While identifying  locations  to set up a Satellite Port, Chennai Port Trust (ChPT) ascertained  that Neyveli  Lignite Corporation  (NLC)  had a proposal  for setting up Thermal Power Station at Sirkazhi and evinced  interest  in utilizing the expertise  of ChPT for developing  the Port. NLC provided details of their Sirkali thermal  power project  including land available,  timelines,  requirements of coal volume  and setting up a Port. The Draft MoU for Development of Satellite Port near Sirkazhi  was prepared  and sent to NLC for signing during  the Maritime  lndia Summit in 2016. However, NLC has informed that as the project  is yet to be sanctioned, the development  of Satellite Port may be premature.

Subsequently, NLC lndia Limited informed about establishment of  power Plant  in Odisha and dropping of development  of Sirkali Thermal  power project thereby  adversely affecting cargo projections  at Sirkazhi  port  and hence its implementation.

Ministry  accorded in principle approval  for development of New Major  port  at Enayam in July 2016. However, field studies  could not be carried  out due to resistance from fishermen  groups and local public. As the agitation continued, the alternative  sites were analysed  at Colachel,  Manavalkuruchi  and Kanyakumari. A habitation  free sea shore strelch  at Kanyakumari  was identified as feasible location. The DPR prepared for new port at Kanyakumari was further revised to encourage maximum participation of private sector. Expression  of lnterest (EOl) was invited on 20 February  2021 for developing of Transhipment hub near Kanyakumari on  public Private Partnership mode. However,  in view of development  of V. O. Chidambaranar Port as Transhipment hub, Ministry advised to cancelthe Eol.