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 a major maritime and logistics hub, in Kolkata on Thursday. (@SuvenduWB X/ANI Photo)
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday (June 4, 2026) said that Kolkata will join the Union government’s water metro project.“Kolkata is being joined in the water metro. The Government of India has decided to run water metro in 17 riverine or coastal cities. Kolkata will join as the 18th city,” the Chief Minister told media persons at the State Secretariat. The Water Metro Project has been operational in Kochi since 2021 and is set to be rolled out in Guwahati, Srinagar, Patna, Varanasi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj.The Chief Minister said that Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Port Trust and Ministry of Shipping have agreed to grant permission for 44 new jetties to be built. “The Ministry of Shipping has also accepted our request for the reconstruction of the sea beach at Sagar island. We have started planning to make the Ganga Sagar Mela an international fair” he pointed out.Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat after a meeting with Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Mr. Adhikari said the West Bengal government was keen on strengthening maritime infrastructure and inland water transport in the state.“We engaged in a highly productive discussion regarding key development initiatives and various ongoing issues related to the Port Trust in West Bengal.Under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways (MoPSW) is continuously driving transformative growth to boost Maritime Infrastructure and Economic opportunities in our region, especially developing a new Deep Sea Port in Purba Medinipur district under the ambitious Sagarmala Project,” Mr. Adhikari posted on social media.The Chief Minister ruled out the possibility of a deep sea port at Tajpur, saying that the State government has no land there. Mr. Adhikari said that work on the proposed deep-sea port project would move ahead on land identified at Dadanpatrabar, around 10 km from Tajpur.“The Adani Group had withdrawn from the Tajpur project because the state did not have the required land. The state government is now providing 1,700 acres at Dadanpatrabar, around 10 km from Tajpur. Port-related work will move forward on that land,” he said.The Chief Minister also said that the previous state government had not participated in the Sagarmala- 1 project and the State had to pay its price.“With the approval of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sagarmala-2 has been approved in the country. We have decided to join it. We will prepare the proposal for Sagarmala and prepare a proposal of Rs 22,700 crore for the next five years,” he added Published - June 05, 2026 03:00 am IST
