Mumbai: Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) has announced plans to auction additional land in its Special Economic Zone (SEZ) by the first week of December 2024. The focus will be primarily on the manufacturing sector, with a smaller portion allocated to the services sector.

“We have a total of 165 hectares of saleable land at the SEZ, of which 25% is currently available. Initially, we allocated most of the land to warehouses, but we are now concentrating mainly on the manufacturing sector. We have also reserved some land for small exporters who wish to conduct their business through our port. The plots to be auctioned will be a mix of manufacturing and services sectors,” JNPA Chairman Unmesh Sharad Wagh said.

When questioned about the inclusion of other sectors such as hospitality, IT, or financial services, Wagh clarified that there would be no preferential treatment for these sectors. “We will allot plots only to those sectors dealing in cargo. We need to have cargo moving through our port, otherwise, the purpose of having an SEZ is defeated,” he stated.

The JNPA Chairman also mentioned that the Authority expects to fetch prices between Rs 5 crore to Rs 6 crore per acre for the auctioned plots.

As the developer and special planning authority for the SEZ, JNPA established the multi-product enclave on over 277 hectares (approximately 685 acres). Operational since June 2020, the SEZ has been categorized under the 'orange' environmental clearance. This classification allows for industries that are less polluting, such as glass manufacturing, aluminum or copper extraction, and food processing industries, to operate within the zone.

In addition to the land auction, JNPA is setting up India’s first shore power project and is in the final stages of appointing a Project Management Consultant to prepare the tender. This pilot project aims to eliminate the use of diesel for powering ships docked at the port, with execution planned at the terminal operated by Gateway Terminals India, a joint venture between APM Terminals and the Container Corporation of India Ltd (CONCOR).