Kolkata port reclaims 15.6 acre encroached land

Kolkata: The authorities of Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Kolkata (SMPK) have reclaimed 15.6 acres of encroached port land spread across 24 parcels since May, following a coordinated drive with the state govt, the Centre has informed Rajya Sabha.Replying to a question of BJP MP Rahul Sinha, Union minister of ports, shipping and waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said: “It is a fact that the total area of encroached land in Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port as on Aug 2025 was 170.4 acres covering 706 land parcels. Further, the total encroached land as on May 2026 was 175.4 acres. Subsequently, around 15.6 acre covering 24 land parcels has been recovered by SMPA by removing encroachers, making the current area of encroached land as 159.8 acres under 682 land parcels.”Of the 15.6 acres reclaimed, 10.8 acres have already been monetised, generating an annual revenue of around Rs 5.7 crore for the port authority.“The remaining 4.8 acres is estimated to have revenue potential of approximately Rs 1.3 crore a year,” the minister said, adding the port authorities are taking all necessary steps in coordination with state police for eviction of balance encroached land.According to officials, this reclamation of land, which is staggered across the Hooghly riverside in Kolkata and Howrah, is expected to help the port authority unlock valuable land for productive use and generate additional revenue.“The reclaimed parcels could potentially support activities such as commercial real estate, warehousing, ship repair and riverfront development and generate additional income for SMPK,” a senior official said.Over the last five years, SMPK has generated Rs 2,994.54 crore in revenue through land leasing and monetisation.SMPK is the single largest landowner in the city of Kolkata with nearly 4,000 acres. However, the port authorities have been battling encroachment of their valuable land for several decades.A senior port official said that reclaiming all encroached port land could significantly boost revenue from non-port-led activities. “We are in constant touch with the state police and administration to recover large tracts of land from encroachers,” he said.