Essel Mining & Industries Ltd an AV Birla Group company will set up an all weather port at Chudamani north of Paradip Port along the Orissa coast.

Mr Sanjib Sahoo state transport minister said that entailing an investment of INR 1,500 crore, the captive port will have a handling capacity of 10 million tonnes. He added that the port will handle iron ore, thermal coal, alumina, aluminium, cement, limestone, clinker, copper and gypsum.

Essel Mining exports about 3 million tonnes of iron ore from the state every year.

Earlier, there were objections over a port at Chudamani in Bhadrak district from the Defence Ministry and also Dhamra port. The Ministry objected to the location of the port citing security risks, while Dhamra port authorities said that another port in the vicinity would affect its business interests.

(Sourced from Exim News Service)