The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal has decided to cancel the Tajpur deep sea port project in East Midnapore district proposed by the previous Mamata Banerjee administration and will shift the location of the proposed green port to Dadanpatrapar, a coastal village 10 km away.
The Tajpur project was not viable due to scarcity of land surrounding the proposed project, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said after a meeting with Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal. On Wednesday, Adhikari met Karan Adani, managing director of Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd and son of businessman Gautam Adani, at the state secretariat.
“I had a discussion with Karan Adani about the deep sea port in Tajpur. They had already exited the project. We saw that the project was not viable. The government did not have land for railway connectivity and where depots could be set up,” Adhikari said.
The Tajpur project has been in the works for years but has not taken off for one reason or another.
“We have come up with a new proposal. There is an alternative site at Dadhanpatrapar, about 10 km away, where the government has about 1,700 acres of land. The government will take this forward. More land can be acquired later. A discussion in this regard has been held with Sarbananda Sonowal. We are also ready if the project requires revenue sharing with the Centre,” he added.
In October 2021, the previous TMC government issued a request for proposal for the development of Tajpur. After successful bidding, the state government awarded the Letter of Intent (LoI) for Tajpur Port to Adani Ports in October 2022. However, in December 2025, the state government floated a fresh tender for the project.
Adhikari also announced that a water metro will soon be introduced in Kolkata on the Hooghly River.
“The Water Metro is currently operational in 17 cities across India including Kerala. It will be introduced in West Bengal. The Union Minister has given his approval. Our city will be the 18th city,” he said.
Adhikari also said that Bengal will join the Centre’s Sagarmala 2.0 project and will send a proposal $Rs 22,700 crore to develop port connectivity, coastal shipping, inland waterways, coastal community development and coastal fishing infrastructure.
“At least 44 new jetties will be constructed across the state. In Kolkata, six ghats along the river are being renovated and beautified. Initial discussions have been held on setting up a separate shipping department in the state,” he added.
