THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, SEPTEMBER 19, 2026

Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg on Saturday chaired the seventh meeting of the Odisha Maritime Board, reviewing a series of key initiatives aimed at strengthening the state’s maritime infrastructure, port connectivity, shipbuilding capacity and cruise tourism.

The meeting, held at Lok Seva Bhavan, reviewed the action taken on decisions of the Board’s sixth meeting and discussed its proposed reconstitution, human-resource requirements and organisational restructuring.

The Board also examined a proposal to merge the Directorate of Ports and Inland Water Transport with the Odisha Maritime Board, besides discussing the proposed roles and responsibilities of its Chief Executive Officer.

The meeting reviewed the progress of the proposed large shipbuilding cluster at Mahakalapada in Kendrapara district and took up issues concerning Gopalpur Port. With cargo movement through the port witnessing a rise, the Board considered a proposal for a 4.5-km, four-lane greenfield road to connect Gopalpur Port with National Highway-16 near Chhatrapur.

The proposed road project is envisaged to be taken up jointly by the National Highways Authority of India, the state Works Department and Gopalpur Port authorities.

The Board also stressed the need to develop container terminals at Dhamra and Gopalpur ports. It discussed identification of suitable land for container cargo warehouses, customs facilities and multimodal cargo transport centres to strengthen the state’s logistics network.

Progress of the proposed international cruise terminal near Puri was also reviewed as part of efforts to expand Odisha’s maritime tourism potential.

The meeting further discussed GIS-based mapping to identify newly emerged coastal land near ports and proposed maritime projects, along with the creation of a strategic maritime land bank to facilitate future infrastructure development.

The discussions underscored the need for coordinated efforts to accelerate Odisha’s maritime economy through expansion of port infrastructure, shipbuilding, efficient cargo transportation and cruise tourism.

Additional Chief Secretary Hemant Sharma, Principal Secretary Shubha Sharma, Principal Secretary N.B.S. Rajput, Commissioner-cum-Secretary Balwant Singh, Principal Secretary Pabitra Mohan Samal and other Board members and senior officials attended the meeting.