Kolkata Port, also known as Syama Prasad Mookherjee Port (SMP), is offering nearly 60 acres of its land in the city for the state’s first multi-modal logistics park (MMLP), an official said on Sunday.

The official said although there are 6-7 MMLPs proposed across the country to improve logistics infrastructure, none of them is in the port area. This makes the Kolkata project more attractive, as it is just 2km from the dock, the official said.

"We have invited an e-tender-cum-e-auction for the allotment of the vacant land at Transport Depot Road, Hide Road Extension, and Sonapur Road, on a long-term lease of 30 years for setting up the MMLP. The base annual rent is Rs 21 crore. We have also kept a minimum guaranteed volume of cargo of one million tonne as part of the terms," SMP deputy chairman Samrat Rahi told PTI.

Asked why the port is lending out land for the MMLP, Rahi said logistics infrastructure is a key component of reducing costs in foreign trade. "This will help to attract more port users and benefit the Kolkata port," he added.

He said facilities such as warehousing, cold chain packaging, commercial offices, transport, and logistics facilities are part of any logistics park, but kind of infrastructure will depend on specific use case.

"Investment will also depend on the nature of use that a leaseholder will make of the MMLP. The port is not putting any binding on the bidders," Rahi said.

He also said other highlights of the location are that more than 25 acres of warehousing space is available, there is a single window system, it is strategically located very close to highways, and it is well-connected to Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and North-Eastern India.

The last date for submission of the techno-commercial and financial bids is September 29.

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