Kandla Port clears 62 acres of encroached land to fast-track new development projects

Deendayal Port Authority (DPA), Kandla, has reclaimed 62 acres of prime land following a major encroachment removal drive, paving the way for a series of upcoming infrastructure and green-energy projects.

DPA Chairperson Sushil Kumar Singh said the operation targeted long-standing illegal settlements across the port estate. “Our special drive cleared about 400–500 hutments, semi-permanent structures and some permanent houses. With this, 62 acres have now been freed from encroachment,” he said. Singh added that the action was carried out with full support from the state police and district administration.

The newly vacated land will be used to accelerate several expansion initiatives at Kandla Port, including projects tied to capacity augmentation, decarbonisation, green hydrogen, and green methanol. “Many new projects are in the pipeline, and this land will play an important role in accommodating the infrastructure required for them,” Singh noted.

The encroachment clearance comes at a time when DPA Kandla has been posting strong operational performance.

Last month, the port set a new benchmark in LPG handling, with IOCL’s LPG Terminal managing 15 LPG tankers and 2,70,551 metric tonnes of cargo as of November 27, surpassing its previous best of 14 tankers recorded in March 2024. The authority projected that the monthly total could reach 17 tankers by the end of November.

Kandla Port has also notched another operational record with a 24-hour discharge of 15,687 cubic metres of pine logs from the vessel MV TOMINI SOLANO. Notably, the entire operation was executed using electric-vehicle (EV) loaders, reflecting the port’s ongoing shift toward greener and more energy-efficient cargo handling.

These consecutive milestones, coupled with the clearing of strategic land parcels, underscore Deendayal Port Authority’s push to modernise operations and support India’s broader maritime infrastructure growth.