Government Approves SMPK's Balagarh Barge Terminal Project

Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority (SMPK) has secured government approval to develop a barge terminal at Balagarh, approximately 85 km upstream of Kolkata. This strategic initiative aims to decongest Kolkata’s roads by diverting a share of cargo currently handled by the Kolkata Dock System (KDS) to the new facility.

Planned to handle 2.7 million tonnes of cargo annually, the terminal will accommodate around 1.9 million tonnes of container cargo (approximately 150,000 TEUs) and 0.8 million tonnes of dry bulk commodities like coal, pulses, peas, and fertilisers. Located on Balagarh Island along National Waterway 1 (NW1), the terminal occupies 100 acres within a larger 308.75-acre SMPK-owned land parcel, offering future expansion potential across the island's total 900-acre area.

Serving as an extended gate for the KDS—which includes Netaji Subhas Dock, Khidderpore Dock, and Budge Budge liquid jetties—the terminal will facilitate cargo movement to northern India. A three-metre deep navigational channel between KDS and Balagarh will support flat-bottomed barges with up to 3,000 DWT capacity.

The project will be implemented in two components: SMPK will develop core infrastructure (roads, a rail overbridge, ground preparation, and dredging) under the EPC mode, while the terminal facilities will be developed in two phases through private investment under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.