MARGAO
In a significant development expected to raise eyebrows, the Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) has decided to revive its long-pending proposal to develop the Betul port, located at the southern tip of Salcete, where the river Sal meets the Arabian Sea.
Around a decade after the proposal had met with stiff opposition from local populace and fishing and tourism stakeholders, prompting the Centre to shelve the proposal, the MPA Engineering (Civil) department has invited budgetary quotation from reputed Consultancy firms with marine infrastructure expertise for the preparation of preliminary feasibility report for development of the Port at Betul.
What will further raise eyebrows in local circles is that the consultancy firm has been given a brief to assess the possible road and rail connectivity to the proposed Port facility. This requirement is especially noteworthy since the nearest village, Balli, lies barely five kilometres from Betul and is already served by both National Highway-66 and the Konkan Railway line.
The revival of the proposal gains significance given that the people of Betul, along with fishing and tourism stakeholders, had strongly opposed the project in 2016–17. At the time, Union Minister for Shipping and Inland Waterways Nitin Gadkari publicly assured that the Centre would not impose the Betul Port project on the people of Goa. To further ease public concerns, he had even stated that the port development plan could be shifted to neighbouring states.
Local tourism stakeholders—especially those operating along the adjoining Cavelossim–Mobor coastline, home to several premium beachfront resorts—are expected to react sharply to the revival of the project.
A glance at the tender documents shows that the scope of work encompasses seven key activities to be completed within a three-month timeframe: project initiation including site visits and data collection, market study, physical surveys (topography, bathymetry, and sub-bottom profiling), layout preparation integrating market analysis with site conditions and assessing reclamation requirements and connectivity options, Social Impact Assessment examining local material availability and economic benefits, block cost estimation, and preparation of the Preliminary Project Report.
The consultancy is required to assess the reclamation requirements for the proposed Port considering the site conditions and also assess the possible road and rail connectivity to the proposed Port facility. Besides, the tender document mandates the consultancy firm to carry out an assessment on phasing of the Port facility and also prepare a layout plan for the Port facility.
Sources said that it is evident that MPA has revived the Betul Port development proposal.
The tender document says that the budgetary quotation process is purely for estimation and market rate assessment purposes to facilitate internal cost comparisons and sanctioning from competent authorities, with a separate competitive tender to follow later.
Sources pointed out that the MPA does not own any land at Betul. While the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) has acquired large tracts of land on the Betul-Naqueri plateau, the area at the historic Betul Fort is owned by the government.
SIA STUDY
A glance at the tender document shows that consultancy firm will have a brief to conduct and assessment on the impact of port infrastructure which leads to the rehabilitation of the existing households.
Besides, the consultant has been given the brief to conduct an assessment on the “high level environmental risks” and to do an assessment on the economic benefit of the port to the local public in the region.
