Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal calls on West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to discuss the possibility of transforming West Bengal into major maritime and logistics hub, in Kolkata on Thursday, June 4, 2026.
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West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday said the proposed deep-sea port at Tajpur in East Medinipur district would not be “viable” due to the unavailability of government land and that the State government is planning to develop such a port at an alternative site at nearby Dadanpatrabar.In December last year, the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee-led Government had issued a fresh Request for Proposal (RFP) for the development of the mega Tajpur deep-sea port, after effectively scrapping the first tender process in which Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone’s firm Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) had emerged as the winning bidder.“Not viable” at Tajpur, says Adhikari; Dadanpatrabar proposedAddressing a media conference at the State secretariat after a meeting with Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Adhikari said, “I discussed the Tajpur port matter with Karan Adani (managing director of APSEZ), during a meeting on Wednesday. They already exited the project. We have seen that at Tajpur there is no government land available. Therefore, it is not possible to set up a deep-sea port there, it would not be viable. I had said this several times when I was the LoP (Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly).”He said at Dadanpatrabar, the government already has around 1700 acres of land. And, if required, additional land can be acquired later for the project.“Today, we came up with the new proposal. Dadanpatrabar is around 10 km away from Tajpur. We will go ahead with our plan to develop the deep sea port there. Our government is open to a revenue sharing model with the Centre for the project,” the Chief Minister said.Past timeline of Tajpur port projectNotably, for the proposed Tajpur deep-sea port, in the first tender process, a provisional Letter of Intent to Award (LOIA) was issued to APSEZ in October 2022, after the firm had emerged as the L1 bidder. Early last year, the Mamata Banerjee government decided to issue a fresh tender for the development of the mega greenfield deep-sea port, effectively ending its four-year association with the Adani Group for the project.Kolkata set to join Water Metro networkOn Thursday, Adhikari announced a major boost to water-based urban transport in Kolkata, stating that the city would become the 18th in the country to be connected to the Water Metro network.“Kolkata will now be linked to the water metro system. The project has already been implemented at 17 locations across the country, including Kerala. Kolkata will be the 18th city to join the Water Metro chain,” he said.₹19,209 crore maritime investment push for BengalThe Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways met the Chief Minister in Kolkata to discuss the possibility of transforming West Bengal as Eastern India’s Maritime hub with a proposed maritime investment pipeline of ₹19,209 crore by 2031. The projects are expected to generate more than 62,500 employment opportunities, both direct and indirect, while positioning the State as a major maritime and logistics hub for eastern India.The investment roadmap was reviewed during Sonowal’s meeting with Adhikari, during which both leaders discussed the future development of ports, inland waterways, shipbuilding, logistics, and port-led industrialisation in the State.“West Bengal is central to India’s maritime future. Under the dynamic leadership of PM Narendra Modi, with an investment pipeline of nearly Rs 19,209 crore, we aim to transform Bengal maritime hubs Kolkata and Haldia into the premier maritime gateway of eastern India while generating more than 62,500 employment opportunities. The double engine sarkar model will deliver these projects to unlock unprecedented opportunities for trade, industry and tourism,” Sonowal said.Published on June 4, 2026
