PM Modi to take call soon on developing Chabahar port
Chabahar port in Iran offers huge investment opportunities to India and
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take a call on it based on reports by
key ministries to be submitted within 10 days, Union Minister Nitin
Gadkari said today said.
The reports are to be submitted by various ministries including petroleum and shipping.
"Iranian President has offered to the Prime Minister to develop the entire port... Huge investment opportunities are there in port, railways, iron ore, urea and petroleum.
"We deliberated and in the next ten days each department will study the possibilities and submit the report... PM will take a proper decision on it. Then we will talk to Iran," he said.
The Road Transport and Highways Minister was talking to media after chairing a high-level meeting on Chabahar port, attended by Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar among others.
India has already pledged to invest about USD 85 million in developing the strategic port located off Iran's south- eastern coast, which would provide India a sea-land access route to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan.
Gadkari had visited Tehran in May when the countries signed the pact to develop Chabahar port. After the MoU for development and operation of two terminals at Chabahar Port, discussions are on for concluding the agreements which include possibility of India taking over the development and operation of Phase II of Chabahar Port.
"We were to build two berths at Chahbar. In the meanwhile Iranian President and our PM had held talks on the issue... activities have also intensified after some relief from US sanctions against Iran," he said.
The Railways Ministry had also entered into a pact with Iran for massive work there and it has huge opportunities in roads, iron ore, port, petroleum products and fertilisers, he said, adding that ministries like petroleum, shipping, steel and chemicals and fertilisers will study the investment possibilities and submit a report to the Shipping Secretary Rajiv Kumar within next 10 days.
"We import Petroleum products and and the fertiliser which we get in the shape of urea. If we get gas at lesser rate there is huge opportunity and we can do huge investments and work there," he said.
He added, "The distance from Chabahar to Mundra or Kandla is lesser than the distance between Mumbai and Delhi. We can go directly to Afghanistan from Chabahar and from Afghanistan to Russia via road. This has very strategic importance to us. All the departments discussed that what can be done in each department."
Earlier this month he had said that to cut down on a huge Rs 80,000-crore subsidy on urea, India plans to set up a urea plant at the strategic Chabahar port complex.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had called on Gadkari last month.
The reports are to be submitted by various ministries including petroleum and shipping.
"Iranian President has offered to the Prime Minister to develop the entire port... Huge investment opportunities are there in port, railways, iron ore, urea and petroleum.
"We deliberated and in the next ten days each department will study the possibilities and submit the report... PM will take a proper decision on it. Then we will talk to Iran," he said.
The Road Transport and Highways Minister was talking to media after chairing a high-level meeting on Chabahar port, attended by Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar among others.
India has already pledged to invest about USD 85 million in developing the strategic port located off Iran's south- eastern coast, which would provide India a sea-land access route to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan.
Gadkari had visited Tehran in May when the countries signed the pact to develop Chabahar port. After the MoU for development and operation of two terminals at Chabahar Port, discussions are on for concluding the agreements which include possibility of India taking over the development and operation of Phase II of Chabahar Port.
"We were to build two berths at Chahbar. In the meanwhile Iranian President and our PM had held talks on the issue... activities have also intensified after some relief from US sanctions against Iran," he said.
The Railways Ministry had also entered into a pact with Iran for massive work there and it has huge opportunities in roads, iron ore, port, petroleum products and fertilisers, he said, adding that ministries like petroleum, shipping, steel and chemicals and fertilisers will study the investment possibilities and submit a report to the Shipping Secretary Rajiv Kumar within next 10 days.
"We import Petroleum products and and the fertiliser which we get in the shape of urea. If we get gas at lesser rate there is huge opportunity and we can do huge investments and work there," he said.
He added, "The distance from Chabahar to Mundra or Kandla is lesser than the distance between Mumbai and Delhi. We can go directly to Afghanistan from Chabahar and from Afghanistan to Russia via road. This has very strategic importance to us. All the departments discussed that what can be done in each department."
Earlier this month he had said that to cut down on a huge Rs 80,000-crore subsidy on urea, India plans to set up a urea plant at the strategic Chabahar port complex.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had called on Gadkari last month.
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