Kolkata Port Plans Tourism Hub, Museum, Cruise Terminal; Adani Explores Investments

Kolkata: Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMPK), formerly known as Kolkata Port, has drawn up a comprehensive tourism plan that includes an international-standard river cruise terminal and a museum in Kolkata's Garden Reach area.

Meanwhile, the Adani Group is also exploring investment opportunities in West Bengal across ports, logistics, cement, power distribution and transmission, and data centres, people familiar with the matter said.

"Plans are underway to develop an area at Garden Reach into an entertainment and cultural hub, featuring a museum and an international-standard river cruise terminal," SMPK Chairman Rathendra Raman said. SMPK has also planned to develop several industrial parks, a logistics park in Haldia, and tea and textile parks on its land.

"We have targeted increasing cargo handling to 120 million metric tonnes (MMT) over the next three to four years. The port's current cargo-handling capacity is 93 MMT," Raman said, adding that SMPK is undertaking 15 infrastructure projects worth Rs 6,000 crore. He said cargo had shifted westward due to a lack of mechanisation.

Raman said the Netaji Subhas Dock at the Kolkata Dock System has attracted an investment of Rs 1,500 crore from JSW Infrastructure.

"The eastern region can become the primary gateway connecting India to Southeast Asia and global markets. AI in logistics will reduce costs and improve safety," said Subrat Tripathy, President – Business Development, Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd.

Tripathy also highlighted port-led development as a key driver of economic growth, while pointing to critical challenges in the logistics sector, including overdependence on road transport and the underutilisation of inland waterways.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government is working on a comprehensive roadmap for the transport sector, which is expected to be finalised within the next three months and will incorporate provisions of the Labour Code, West Bengal Labour and Transport Minister Arjun Singh said at the event.

"The new West Bengal government will provide every opportunity to attract industrial investment, with a strong emphasis on heavy industries," Singh said.

Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) Chairman Jayant Singh, whose organisation functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs, stressed the need for mutually beneficial trade with India's neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh and Bhutan. He said establishing Frontier Economic Zones could unlock new opportunities for trade and cross-border collaboration.

A status paper titled Manufacturing Readiness in West Bengal, prepared by CII West Bengal, was also unveiled during the inaugural plenary session of the CII Logistics Colloquium 2026. More than 200 stakeholders from industry, government and other sectors participated in the event.

Speaking at the colloquium, Debashis Dutta, Chairman of the CII Eastern Region Infrastructure & Logistics Sub-Committee, said logistics is the backbone of all industries. He emphasised the growing importance of data-driven supply chains and stressed the need for an integrated supply chain ecosystem to drive future growth in the sector.