MUMBAI: Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) will float tenders for developing the 450-acre Jalna dry port in a couple of months, said Chairman Anil Diggikar.

Speaking to BusinessLine, Diggikar said the port, which is coming up near Aurangabad, will be developed on a public-private partnership basis.

The port will be transferred to a private developer by January 2018. Cargo such as seeds, steel and automobiles will be exported from the port, said the JNPT chief.

The Union Shipping Ministry is keen to develop dry port infrastructure to improve the turnaround time of ships calling at major ports across the country.

Containers, rather than getting stacked up at the port warehouses for customs clearances, can be directly transported via road and rail network to the inland dry port, where customers can get their containers cleared by Customs personnel.

Diggikar said a Detail Project Report of the port is ready and ground work has already started. Out of the 450 acres at Jalna, 80 acres will be developed in the first phase.

Construction work for a three-km approach road to the port has also commenced. The port will get connected with Aurangabad with a six-lane road. A rail line in the vicinity will provide connectivity to the port, he said.

A dry port will allow logistics companies to consolidate their operations as well as complete export/import procedures at inland locations that are relatively nearer to farms and factories. It provides customers with a better control over the cargo.

The JNPT Chairman also added that along with Jalna, another dry port is also being developed at Wardha, Nagpur, which will be spread over 350 acres. The JNPT is in the process of acquiring the land, which belongs to State Industrial and Investment Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd (SICOM).