Team Herald
PANJIM: A study based on Government of India’s Sagarmala Programme — wherein more than 574 projects are identified for implementation during 2015-2035 — reveals that a total of Rs 4,05,536.19 crore has been marked at all major ports. While Tamil Nadu has topped the charts with a port investment of Rs 87,360.62 crore, Goa seems to be lagging far behind at 12th position with just Rs 1,416 crore in port investments.
The Sagarmala project covers the areas of port modernisation and new port development, port connectivity enhancement, port-linked industrialisation and coastal community development.
While four projects were dropped last year, government data indicates around Rs 1,416 crore was invested in port development activities under various heads by Goa. Out of this the State allotted 62 per cent into projects in port development and 27 per cent in inland water transport and coastal shipping. The remaining was spread across other activities such as Cruise and Lighthouse Tourism besides port modernisation activities.
Senior officials in the tourism department said they contemplate giving priority to cruise tourism besides other initiatives in the wake of reviews from traders about average performance.
“A very small part of the overall investment has been made in port development. Goa has invested only Rs 8.79 crore in Cruise Shipping and Lighthouse Tourism. A majority of Goans depend on tourism for their livelihoods. In fact, the tourism sector is the backbone of Goa’s economy. The impact of investing less on development of Cruise Shipping and Lighthouse Tourism is already visible in the number of foreign tourist to Goa,” an official said.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, Goa’s share among top 10 States in number of foreign tourist visits in 2019 was the least. At 937,113 it had only 2.98 per cent of the total foreign tourist visits in 2019.
Developing infrastructure is a must for Goa which is primarily dependent on Tourism for the livelihoods of its people and various projects lagging behind need to be speed tracked to ensure that the situation improves, is the argument by many. The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has advocated the need for developing this sector. “Right now, our focus is at wrong place. We understand that these (cruise) tourists come in for a day or two, but the arrivals are bulk. This can help tourism industry in different ways and also small time local traders will benefit,” TTAG President Nilesh Shah said.
“Certain things which are good for Goans can be promoted such as jetties wherein people spend good time enjoying the scenic beauty during the travel. But it is currently not properly channelised,” he said opining that people need to realise that government is working towards overall welfare and redevelopment activities is the need.
Opposition to projects has led to Goa losing to opportunities, Shah added. As per the Ministry of Shipping, around 95 per cent of India’s trading by volume and 70 per cent by value is done through maritime transport. In last financial year, major ports in India handled 704.82 million tonnes of cargo traffic, implying a CAGR of 2.74 per cent during FY16-FY20.
“There is a need to develop India’s ports and trade related infrastructure to fast-track growth in the manufacturing industry. Investments in Indian ports and shipping industry are key in sustaining growth in the country’s trade and commerce and the Sagarmala program will play a pivotal role in achieving this,” a former TTAG member and co-owner of a travel agency, said.
As per the Indian Ports Association, the load on the existing port facilities of Goa has increased by 23 per cent; the highest among all Indian ports during the April to December 2020 period compared to the corresponding period last year. Goa handled a total of 14.53 million tonnes of cargo during April to December 2020 against 11.78 million tonnes during the corresponding period last year.
