Haldia dock to become India's first to embrace green initiatives

Haldia Dock Complex of the Kolkata Port Trust will be the first to embark upon green initiative among major ports and will use bio-diesel to run locomotives, equipment, floating crafts and others. To take the initiative further, the Union Shipping Ministry has decided to utilise 20 per cent bio-diesel at 12 major ports in India.

The Bureau of Indian Standards has been asked to set standards for higher usage of bio-diesel in automobiles, locomotives, heavy engineering machines and generators.

According to PTI, Emami Agrotech Ltd, which has its bio-diesel refinery at Haldia, would supply the alternative green fuel to the Haldia Port. The Ministry has indicated that the price could be as low as Rs 10 a litre for bio-diesel.

Haldia Dock Complex, is one of the two dock systems which comprise the port of Kolkata, the oldest operating port in India. The port has a vast hinterland comprising the entire north and north-east of India and also Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet.

The port had witnessed decline after the 1905 partition of Bengal and economic stagnation in eastern India. However, with the turn of the century, the volume of throughput in the port has been increasing steadily.

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