— Balagarh Port Infrastructure Development Ltd (BPIDL) has invited proposals to develop container and coal berths in Hooghly through a public-private partnership, with the Rs 407 crore project expected to begin operations by October 2029, according to a report by Times of India – Kolkata.
BPIDL is a joint venture between Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Kolkata (SMPK) and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). The proposed facility at Balagarh will include container and coal berths as well as a mechanisation project, with the stated objective of shifting part of SMPK’s operations away from congested city areas.
A senior SMPK official told the newspaper that proposals had been sought for the project and that a work order was expected to be issued within one year. The berths are then likely to become operational by October 2029, the official said.
The project will be developed on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer basis. BPIDL will select the private partner through a bidding process based on the highest royalty offered per metric tonne of cargo. The successful bidder will enter into a 30-year concession agreement with BPIDL.
According to officials quoted in the report, the planned berths will have a handling capacity of 1.9 million tonnes per annum for container cargo and 0.8 million tonnes per annum for bulk cargo. The project’s estimated investment is Rs 407 crore.
The land required for the project is already available with SMPK, according to the report. This is expected to support the proposed development as the port authority seeks to respond to projected growth in cargo traffic and address restrictions affecting movement within Kolkata’s city limits.
SMPK and IWAI are positioning Balagarh as an alternative trade hub that could reduce the dependence on cargo movement through more congested urban areas. The project is also intended to lower logistics costs and provide additional capacity for container and bulk cargo handling.
The proposed shift would link port infrastructure with the movement of goods beyond the core city area. However, the immediate next steps remain the completion of the proposal and bidding process, followed by selection of the private concessionaire and issuance of the work order. Operations are targeted for October 2029, subject to those stages being completed.
