In a significant departure from the previous TMC government’s policies, the BJP government in West Bengal is set to transform the state into a maritime hub with an investment pipeline of ₹19,209 crore by the year 2031. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, met Chief Minister of West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, on Thursday (4th June) in Kolkata to discuss the possibility of making West Bengal the maritime hub of eastern India.
Sonowal and Adhikari reviewed the investment roadmap during the meeting and discussed plans for the development of ports, inland waterways, shipbuilding, logistics and port-led industrialisation in the state. The West Bengal CM virtually addressed the media after the meetings and announced a series of projects and development works to be carried out under the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. He also said that the state is going to be integrated with the Union government’s Sagarmala 2.0 initiative.
The projects will not only contribute to the infrastructure upgradation of the state but will also generate over 62,500 direct and indirect employment opportunities. Under the project, the Balagarh Multimodal Logistics Hub will be developed, Kolkata and Haldia docks will be expanded and mechanised, inland waterways will be strengthened, world-class shipbuilding, ship repair facilities and cruise tourism infrastructure will be developed, and riverfront and port-led industrial clusters will be redeveloped.
Water Metro in Kolkata
It was also announced that Kolkata would be the 18th city to join the Union government’s water metro project. CM Adhikari said that Kolkata will have the water metro as per the recently announced Draft National Water Metro Policy. “The proposal has received approval from Union Minister of State for Shipping Shantanu Thakur. The Centre has already identified 17 riverine and coastal cities for water metro services. Kolkata will now join the list as the 18th water metro in the country,” Adhikari told the media at the State Secretariat.
The Chief Minister said that apart from this, work on renovating and beautifying the ghats along the Ganga is also in progress. Plans have been taken to modernise Bagbazar, Ahiritola, Shovabazar, Mallikghat, Babughat, Ramkrishnapur, and Bandhaghat. He stated that work on some of these ghats is already nearly complete, while the rest are targeted to be finished before Durga Puja.
He also informed that 44 new jetties will be set up in the city. However, the Chief Minister ruled out the possibility of a deep-sea port at Tajpur, stating that the state government has no land there. He said that Adani Group withdrew from the project due to a lack of land owned by the govt. Instead, a deep-sea port will come at Dadanpatrabar, around 10 km from Tajpur.
Sonowal highlights the maritime potential of West Bengal
According to the Union Minister, the investment programme is designed to attract private capital, create large-scale employment and establish West Bengal as a preferred destination for maritime and logistics investments. He highlighted the state’s maritime potential and pointed out that cargo throughput at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port has increased from 46.29 million metric tonnes in 2014 to 70.87 million metric tonnes in 2025-26, while inland waterways cargo movement has grown nearly five-fold over the past decade.
“West Bengal is central to India’s maritime future. Under the dynamic leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi ji, with an investment pipeline of nearly ₹19,209 crore, we aim to transform Bengal maritime hubs Kolkata and Haldia into the premier maritime gateway of eastern India while generating more than 62,500 employment opportunities. The double engine sarkar model will deliver these projects to unlock unprecedented opportunities for trade, industry and tourism,” Sonowal said.
Adhikari welcomes centre-state cooperation
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari welcomed continued collaboration between the Centre and the state on maritime infrastructure, waterways development, dredging, riverfront projects and connectivity initiatives, while seeking support for priority projects aimed at boosting economic activity and trade in the state. The meeting underscored the Centre’s vision of leveraging West Bengal’s strategic geography, extensive river network and industrial base to transform the state into a leading maritime investment destination & growth engine for India.
CM Adhikari took a dig at the previous TMC government for depriving the state of development opportunities by not joining the Centre’s Sagarmala 1 initiative. “The previous government did not join the Sagarmala 1 project. A committee was supposed to be formed under the chairmanship of the CM…” Adhikari said. “But ‘Sagarmala 2’ is starting again. We will join it…A proposal worth Rs 22,700 crore will be prepared for five years. It will plan development for port connectivity, coastal fishing infrastructure, and easing the hardships of fishermen in areas such as Sagar, Kakdwip, Namkhana, Nayachar, and Khejuri right up to the Odisha border,” he added.
Adhikari welcomed the collaboration between the Centre and the state on maritime infrastructure. He praised the proposed tunnel across the Hooghly River, the development of jetty infrastructure, the dredging of National Waterway-1, the protection of the Hooghly embankment, and issues related to land and irrigation infrastructure. “These initiatives are important for strengthening West Bengal’s maritime ecosystem and supporting economic growth. We look forward to continued cooperation with the Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji for the development of the state with active support from Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal ji,” Adhikari said.
The meeting was also attended by Union Minister of State for MoPSW, Shantanu Thakur, along with the Secretary, MoPSW, Chief Secretary, Govt of West Bengal and other senior officials.
