The BJP’s ascent to power in West Bengal has rekindled industry expectations around the long-delayed Rs 25,000-crore Tajpur deep sea port project, with stakeholders hoping improved Centre-state coordination will fast-track the venture.
The renewed optimism comes even as the latest global tender floated in December 2025 by the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) has been cancelled due to inadequate participation.
“With the Centre-state alignment in Bengal, the project is well positioned to gain momentum. However, its full potential will hinge on robust last-mile connectivity and seamless multimodal integration,” Adhip Nath Pal Chaudhuri, Chairman, National Shipping and Logistics Committee, BCC&I maintained.
The proposed port in East Midnapore district is seen as a potential game-changer for eastern India’s trade, allowing direct berthing of large vessels, reducing reliance on transshipment hubs and lowering logistics costs. It is also expected to ease congestion at Kolkata and Haldia ports, improving turnaround time and operational reliability.
“The tender for the design, build, finance, operate and transfer of the greenfield port at Tajpur was cancelled just about a fortnight ago because minimum bids were not received,” a Maritime Board official said.
The BJP, in its 2026 West Bengal Assembly election manifesto, had promised to develop both the Tajpur deep sea port and the proposed Kulpi port as part of a broader push to boost industrialisation, logistics and employment.
The Tajpur project, first conceived over a decade ago, has witnessed multiple setbacks. Initially explored with the Kolkata Port Trust, now Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, the project later shifted to a public-private partnership model.
Also read: WB govt scraps Adani deal for Tajpur port
In 2021, the state invited bids on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis, with Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) emerging as the top bidder over JSW Infrastructure.
Outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee handed over the Letter of Intent to APSEZ in October 2022, projecting investments of around Rs 25,000 crore. However, the state government in November 2023 announced a fresh tender process without specifying reasons.
In June 2025, the Bengal cabinet terminated the arrangement with the Adani Group, ending nearly four years of engagement, and approved a new bidding process.
A fresh global tender issued in December 2025, offering a 99-year concession and around 1,000 acres for port-linked industrial development, also failed to draw sufficient interest and was cancelled.
The future of the project is now likely to depend on the policy direction of the new BJP government and its ability to attract strategic investors for the long-pending maritime infrastructure project.
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