Much awaited Chabahar port likely to be operational by March-April : Gadkari

New Delhi, Aug 5:  The operationalisation of the much awaited 'Chabahar port', which will revolutionise trade between India and Iran, is most likely to take place in coming March-April, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said here today as he leaves for a two-day visit to the Islamic republic. Mr Gadkari said during his visit he will review the project and also take part in the oath taking ceremony of the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran today. Mr Gadkari told reporters here that the civil construction of the port was complete, and tomorrow he will place the orders worth Rs 400 crore for the machinery and equipment required to operationalise the port. He said, 'The distance from Kandla port to Chabahar port is lesser than the distance between Delhi and Mumbai', emphasizing on the importance of Chabahar port which is almost complete and will boost the trade between India and Iran and will also provide access to central Asian countries for India. The Minister said once the port is operational, it will bring down the logistics costs in imports and exports to great extent. He stressed on the fact that government will be able to provide urea to the farmers at 50 to 60 per cent lesser the price as it was available in surplus in Iran , and likewise it will become easier for both the countries to exchange trade of surplus goods needed by both countries at lesser prices through Chabahar port. The minister said ,'In continuation of the Chabahar port, we will be building a railway line from Afghanistan to Russia that will make trade easier for us, ' adding that 'as for now we have to carry forward the trade through Pakistan which is not as easy and beneficial for the country'. The minster said that India and Iran have old cultural ties and many people living in Iran have Indian origins. He said that the move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consolidate relations with Iran will certainly help both the countries in terms of trade and will also provide access for India to central Asian countries as Pakistan will not be a barrier anymore. UNI