Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Ro-Pax terminal at Hazira and flagged off the Ro-Pax ferry service between Hazira and Ghogha in Gujarat through video conferencing recently. He also renamed the Ministry of Shipping as the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said everyone will benefit from this better connectivity. He added that business will be boosted, and connectivity will become faster. He further said RO-PAX service between Hazira and Ghogha has made dreams come true for the people of Saurashtra and South Gujarat, as the journey is shortened from 10-12 hours to 3-4 hours. He said this will save time and expenses will also be reduced. He said about 80000 passenger trains and 30000 trucks will be able to take advantage of this new service in a year.
Modi also said better connectivity between Saurashtra and Surat is going to change the life of the people in these regions. He lauded the way Gujarat realized its maritime potential in the last two decades and gave priority to port led development and listed the initiatives of the State Government in developing the maritime potential of the state like drafting a Shipbuilding policy, construction of Shipbuilding Park and Specialized Terminals, promotion of Vessel Traffic Management system and Ground Breaking Connectivity project. He said with these initiatives the port sector has got a new direction. He stressed that efforts were made to modernize the entire ecosystem of the coastal area in addition to developing the physical infrastructure.
Modi said the government is making efforts to restart the ferry service between Ghogha-Dahej very soon. He said many natural challenges have arisen in this project and efforts are being made to remove them through modern technology. He added Gujarat Maritime University is a big center for getting trained manpower and experts ready for maritime trade. Today, this University provides opportunities to pursue maritime law and international trade law and also MBA in Maritime Management, Shipping and Logistics. He said apart from the university, work is also going on to build the first National Museum to preserve the country’s maritime heritage in Lothal.
He said facilities like today’s Ro-Pax Ferry service or Sea Plane inaugurated a few days ago, is giving a lot of momentum to water-resource based economy. He said that over the years, serious efforts have also been made to strengthen the Blue Economy in the country.
He said today work is going on in inland rivers across the country, to connect many Land-locked states to the sea. He added today in the Bay of Bengal, we are developing our capabilities in the Indian Ocean unprecedentedly. The maritime part of the country has emerged as an important part of AtmaNirbhar Bharat.
