Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday laid the foundation stones for the projects at GRSE Bhavan in Kolkata, in the presence of West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari and senior central and state government officials.
Three of the projects are being undertaken by GRSE and will expand its capacity for warship construction and refit, as well as the construction and repair of small and medium-sized commercial vessels.
GRSE has signed lease agreements with Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata, for two small shipyards on either bank of the Hooghly and a 32-acre riverside property at Raichak.
The Raichak facility, which has a 356-metre waterfront and a 96-metre jetty, will be developed as a shipbuilding hub with an investment of over ₹2,500 crore. It will include a 200-metre dry dock, slipway, launching pad, jetties and block fabrication facilities. The facility will be capable of building warships up to 200 metres and commercial vessels up to 60,000 DWT.
At Shalimar, GRSE will invest nearly ₹100 crore to rejuvenate its four-acre Timber Pond facility for medium-sized shipbuilding and repairs. The project includes restoration of a 130-metre dry dock and construction of a 120-metre slipway.
The Damodar facility at Kidderpore Docks will receive around ₹70 crore for medium-sized vessel repairs and construction of electric ferries and other small crafts.At YIL’s Metal and Steel Factory in Ishapore, two projects worth more than ₹750 crore will strengthen indigenous metallurgical and defence manufacturing.
A ₹277.59-crore 3,000-ton heavy-duty hydraulic open-die forging press will replace the ageing 2,650-ton press and produce gun barrels, ammunition components and heavy defence forgings.
A ₹473.84-crore radial forging plant will manufacture super-alloy forgings, aerial bomb tubes, ordnance hardware, railway axles and nuclear reactor components.
The new facilities will incorporate Industry 4.0 and energy-efficient technologies and are aimed at reducing import dependence across defence, railway and strategic sectors.
Singh said the expansion reflected growing confidence in West Bengal’s industrial ecosystem and linked the state’s industrial revival with national security.
He said he had no doubt that GRSE would emerge as “The Great GRSE,” as the shipyard was always ready to accept challenges in making India self-reliant.
Singh also highlighted GRSE’s experience in building naval and commercial platforms, saying the shipyard had delivered more than 800 platforms. He pointed to its construction of cargo ships for a German company as an example of “Make in India, Make for the World.”
The defence minister also expressed confidence that YIL’s new facilities would strengthen India’s defence manufacturing capabilities.
Adhikari committed to extending all possible cooperation to GRSE and acknowledged the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Singh in rebuilding Bengal.
He said that when India becomes a developed nation by 2047, West Bengal will also develop. “With this vision and this mantra, we will continue to move forward,” he said.
The projects are also expected to generate employment and create opportunities for ancillary industries, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises, strengthening the state’s wider industrial ecosystem.
