Maharashtra plans 4 state-owned ports in Konkan to target ₹5,000-crore: Rane

The Maharashtra ports department currently earns around ₹250 crore annually from royalties received for operators of 48 non-major ports and jetties

The Maharashtra government is planning to construct four state-owned and state-developed ports in four coastal districts in the Konkan region, state minister Nitesh Rane said.

Maharashtra ports minister Nitesh Rane (Bhushan Koyande/HT)

Rane said the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) was drawing up the plan.

The move marks a fundamental departure from the state’s traditional model in which the authorities leased public coastal land to private operators, who built and operated the ports. The government earned modest annual royalties while private operators managed logistics operations.

Rane said the Maharashtra ports department earns around ₹250 crore annually from these royalties. The state receives royalties from 48 non-major ports and jetties.

“Primary estimates indicate the government could earn nearly ₹5,000 crore from these projects, turning the department into a major revenue generator for the state,” he said.

Under the state’s Viksit Maharashtra 2047 initiative, the ports department would build and operate one port each in Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg districts.

To be sure, the state has a 26% share in the Vadhvan Port being constructed near Dahanu town in Palghar district, at a cost of ₹76,000 crore. The project, which started in August 2024, is expected to be completed by 2030 and be a significant source of non-tax revenue in the state.