Mundra Port

Mundra is a census town in Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Mundra Port is the largest private port in India.

History

Mundra Fort

Old Mundra town was walled and fortified with the masonry from the ruins of ancient town of Bhadresar, twenty seven kilometre to the north-east. The town was associated with Cutch State. Fortified in 1728 by Devkaran Seth, Mundra was in 1755 held and defended by Godji II when in revolt from his father. In 1801 it was given by Fateh Muhammad to Dosal Ven, and in 1815, when held by Muhammad Sota, was unsuccessfully attacked by Rao Bharmalji II. In 1818 it is said to had a population of 1200 souls and to have yielded a revenue of £3000 (Rs 30,000). In 1855 it was in good repair and contained 1500 houses. In 1861, it was noted for petty carpets of stamped cotton. In 1879, there was a considerable trade with Kathiawar, Khambhat, Surat, and Bombay, the chief exports being cotton, castor seed, pulse, wool and dyed cloth and the chief imports were metals, timber, grain, dates, grocery, and piece goods. In 1872, it had population of 7952.

After independence of India in 1947, Cutch State acceded unto the dominion of India and was constituted an independent commissionaire, Kutch State. In 1956, Kutch State was merged with Bombay state, which in 1960 was divided into the new linguistic states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, with Kutch becoming part of Gujarat state. Mundra now falls under Kutch district of Gujarat.

In 1994, the Mundra Port was announced at Mundra. The operation started in October 1998. In subsequent years, the port expanded rapidly resulting in rapid expansion of town and population. During the January 2001 Gujarat earthquake, Mundra was the only place in the district of Kutch which was not affected by this devastation. Following earthquake, the tax incentives were granted for setting up new industries in this district which led to the rapid industrialisation of this region. In 2014, Mundra Port surpassed Kandla in cargo handling and became the largest private port of India.

Geography and environment

The town has flat terrain. The quality of water in this region is very poor and has a high fluoride content.
Amenities and culture
Khoja Lalji Sumar Primary School

Gaddhasar or Shastri Ground is major playground in town. The transportation and medical facilities are available. Maharaoshri Khengarji Library in old town is public library run by local administration.

In 1905, Aga Khan III started the Aga Khan School in Mundra, the first school what later became a large network of schools, Aga Khan Education Service. Other major schools are Government Primary School (Darbari), R. D. Highschool, Saint Xavier’s School, Calorx Public School. Khoja Lalji Sumar Primary School was founded in 1871. There are commerce, arts and PTC colleges in the town.Dabeli and Kadak are popular snacks of town.Nani Ravadi and Moti Ravadi are local dance and procession festivals celebrated in Shravan month of Hindu calendar by seafaring communities of Kharva. Nava Naroj is celebrated as a starting day of new seafaring season. All other major Hindu and Muslim religious festivals are celebrated in the town including Diwali, Holi, Uttarayan, Muharram and Eids.

Economy

Main articles: Mundra Port, Mundra Ultra Mega Power Plant, and Mundra Thermal Power Station

Mundra Port

Mundra was well known for salt and spice trading in the past and now for tie-dye and block-printed textiles. The old harbor is virtually unusable today, and only small local fishing craft navigate its silted waterways up the river.

The main source of income for the local people is agriculture, horticulture and wage labour. Mundra has a Date Palm Research Station operated by Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University. Several people are employed inmanufacturing companies, port and power stations. Mundra Port is the largest private port with multiproduct special economic zone owned and operated by Adani Ports & SEZ Limited.

There are two thermal power stations adjacent to Mundra, Mundra Ultra Mega Power Plant operated by Tata Power and Mundra Thermal Power Station operated by Adani Power. These power station generates over 8,600 MW of electricity. The coal for the power plant is imported primarily from Indonesia. Source of water for the power plant is sea water from the Gulf of Kutch.