Subsequently, the Government decided to construct a major port there. The foundation stone for Paradip Port was laid on 3 January 1962 by the former prime minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, then Prime Minister of India. On completion in 1965, the port was taken over by the Government of India and was declared open on 12 March 1966. Paradip Port was declared the eighth major port of India and the first major deep sea port on the east coast commissioned after independence. The Paradip Port Trust came into being in 1967 for the development and management of the Port. Geography Paradip is located at . It has an average elevation of . Climate Connectivity The Port is connected with the Broad-gauge electrified Railway system of the East-Coast Railway and is also served by National Highway 53 and State Highway No.12. The Port is also connected by bus routes to the steel city of Rourkela, Kolkata, and to the holy town of Puri & Konark The Port is connected through lease line and broadband to other Ports, Ministry, and IPA. Reliance, BSNL, Airtel, TATA Indicom, etc. have cellular services at Paradip Port. A 4G network facility is available in Paradip Port. The Port is connected with the Broad-gauge electrified Railway system of the East-Coast Railway and is also served by National Highway 53 and State Highway No.12. Port is well connected with Cuttack and Bhubaneswar with bus & train services. Paradip Port The Port of Paradip is the primary port in Odisha, and one of the largest on India's east coast. The port handled over 100 million tonnes of cargo in 2017–2018. Thermal coal and iron ore are major commodities that transit the port. Located on the Bay of Bengal at a latitude of 20° 55.44' N and a longitude of 86°34.62' E, the port is built on an artificial harbour with ships accessing the port via man-made lagoons. Former Chief Minister of Odisha Biju Patnaik, an aviator, and a freedom fighter spearheaded the port's establishment. Storage area of a concrete paved area near the berth. Storage area secured & protected. Capacity to store about 1000 TEUs (20 ft). Equipments available One Mobile crane of 75MT capacity (Port). Two 50 MT mobile cranes & one 20 MT forklift (private). Adequate trailers to handle TEUs and FEUs (private). Facility Berthing priority for container vessels. Hence, nil waiting 50% Concession in both