Essar Ports Ltd, part of the Essar Group, has received a Letter of Award (LoA) from Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) to develop a multipurpose cargo terminal at Tuna Tekra in Kandla, Gujarat, at an estimated cost of ₹2,276.06 crore under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Essar Ports emerged as the highest bidder in a global competitive bidding process for the project, which will be implemented on a build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis. Of the total investment, Essar Ports will contribute ₹1,552.57 crore, while DPA will invest ₹723.49 crore.

The proposed terminal will have an annual cargo-handling capacity of 18.33 million tonnes and comprise four berths, each measuring 300 metres, with an aggregate berth length of 1,200 metres. It will be designed to accommodate Cape-size vessels of up to 170,000 deadweight tonnes (DWT), with a draft capability of up to 18 metres.

DPA will provide common-user infrastructure, including dredging of the access channel, berth pockets and turning circles, as well as a common approach road. The terminal will comply with applicable environmental regulations and the Green Port Policy.

“The Tuna-Tekra project marks a defining moment for Essar Ports as we embark on a new journey to rebuild and expand our ports business. This project will serve as the foundation for our next phase of growth,” said Ashish Rajgarhia, CEO, Essar Ports.

“Through this investment, we reaffirm our commitment to building world-class maritime infrastructure,” he added.

V. Srinivasan, Operating Partner-Infrastructure at Essar Group, said the company would build on its port infrastructure expertise while pursuing opportunities aligned with India’s growing trade and infrastructure requirements.

Essar Ports currently has an operational port capacity of approximately 60 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) across Gujarat, Indonesia and the United Kingdom.

Every round of the Ranji Trophy comprises a wide spectrum of results. There are nail-chewing humdingers. There are one-sided hammerings. Dreary draws, the least appealing of them all, are also part of the First-Class competition’s fabric.

The Elite Group-C face-off between Delhi and Gujarat at the Palam ‘B’ ground belonged to that last category. As is generally the case in these high-scoring affairs that culminate in a draw, the placid pitch seemed to be the most decisive element.

It meant that the host, after winning the toss and amassing 648 for six declared, couldn’t push for an outright win. It had to be content with three points after bundling out Gujarat for 479 to secure a first-innings lead of 169 runs. That, too, took an almighty effort, with Ayush Badoni & Co. spending 174.1 overs on the field.

Delhi still enforced the follow-on in the hope of a few quick breakthroughs, but once Gujarat reached 15 for one in eight overs at the scheduled tea break, both teams decided to exchange handshakes and rest their weary legs and tired minds.

Off-spinner Hrithik Shokeen endured the biggest workload, delivering as many as 53 overs in the first essay and another four in the second. But any possible soreness was supplanted by sheer delight once he claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in First Class cricket. On a deck offering very little assistance for the spinners, Shokeen finished with five for 143 at an economy of 2.7 in the first dig.

When Shokeen dismissed overnight batter Manan Hingrajia to reduce Gujarat to 385 for six inside the opening hour, Delhi would have hoped for the remaining batters to wither away. But skipper Chintan Gaja, who had made 41 on day three, went on to contribute 82 and prolong the innings with the lower-order. It frustrated Delhi, but perhaps not as much as the nature of the surface did.

The scores:

Delhi — 1st innings: 648 for six decl.

Gujarat — 1st innings: Abhishek Desai c Doseja b Shokeen 34, Aarya Desai c Dhull b Shokeen 11, Vedant Trivedi c Rawat b Divij 38, Manan Hingrajia c Mathur b Shokeen 123, Urvil Patel c Badoni b Shokeen 23, Jaymeet Patel c Sanat b Saini 72, Chintan Gaja c & b Mathur 82, Vishal Jayswal c & b Mathur 21, Harshal Patel c Rawat b Shokeen 5, Arzan Nagwaswalla (not out) 10, Siddharth Desai b Grewal 6; Extras (b-34, lb-11, w-6, nb-3): 54; Total (in 174.1 overs): 479.

Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-79, 3-118, 4-153, 5-277, 6-385, 7-443, 8-444, 9-450.

Delhi bowling: Divij 18-4-45-1, Saini 23-5-50-1, Shokeen 53-11-143-5, Grewal 19.1-3-53-1, Badoni 19-3-57-0, Mathur 25-6-51-2, Priyansh 12-2-23-0, Doseja 5-0-12-0.

Gujarat — 2nd innings: Abhishek Desai (not out) 9, Aarya Desai lbw b Divij 2, Vedant Trivedi (not out) 0; Extras (b-4): 4; Total (for one wkt. in eight overs): 15.

Fall of wicket: 1-6.

Delhi bowling: Shokeen 4-2-6-0, Divij 4-2-5-1.

PoM: Priyansh Arya.

Under the glaring afternoon sun on Saturday, Urvil Patel faced throwdowns for more than 30 minutes in preparation for Gujarat’s Ranji Trophy duel against Delhi. For much of the net session at the Palam ground, the 28-year-old honed his attacking strokes.

He did so whilst donning yellow-coloured batting gloves, a not-so-subtle reminder of his association with Chennai Super Kings since the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL).

Afterwards, the Gujarat wicketkeeper-batter spoke enthusiastically of the confidence that the CSK stint has infused. In the 2026 IPL, he notably took just 13 balls against Lucknow Super Giants to bring up a half-century, the joint-fastest in the T20 league’s history. M.S. Dhoni’s guidance from close quarters was the icing on the cake for Urvil.

“After playing in the IPL, confidence is high. Just seeing Mahi bhai around gives confidence. I was fortunate to have my seat next to his in the CSK dressing room,” Urvil told the media on Saturday.

With the added exposure, he is aware of the enhancements needed in his game. Despite his blazing 23-ball 65 versus LSG, he compiled just 129 runs in seven games this year.

“I was not satisfied with my overall performance. I reviewed how the season went and I’m working on the things that I have identified,” he admitted.

In the Ranji Trophy too, Urvil isn’t wary of taking the aggressive route. Last week, he hammered a 67-ball 85 against Odisha. “I look to be clear in my mindset. If I decide to attack, I show full conviction. I don’t have self-doubt.”

Kerala will look for an early course correction as it returns to familiar home terrain against Odisha in a second round match of the Ranji Trophy at the Sports Hub Greenfield stadium here on Sunday.

Kerala’s season opener against Jharkhand in Jamshedpur was chastening as it was thoroughly dominated by its rival. Though Kerala followed-on, it managed to hang on for a draw. But the match exposed Kerala’s limitations in both batting and bowling. It allowed Jharkhand’s lower order to prosper as the host piled up a huge first innings total.

Kerala’s familiar top-order collapse on a flat track, after Abhishek P. Nair’s attacking century, is a major cause of concern. Mohammed Azharuddeen’s lean patch with the bat has continued in this season as well.

However, Abhishek’s century, Aditya Sarvate’s rearguard knock and Vaisakh Chandran’s five-wicket haul were the big takeaways for Kerala from the opening fixture.

To shore up its batting, Kerala has included under-23 captain Abhishek J. Nair who recently lashed an unbeaten ton against Pondicherry. The host will look to maximise its home advantage against Odisha which suffered a crushing 10-wicket defeat in its opening match against Gujarat.

While Odisha had its moments against Gujarat, a second innings collapse on the final day cost it the match. The visitor will be looking for an improved show against the host.

However, the weather may have a decisive say in the outcome of the match. With the arrival of the North East monsoon in Kerala, the capital city has been experiencing steady rainfall for the last few days.

Heavy rain forced the teams to cancel their net sessions on Saturday and with the forecast for more showers in the coming days, the weather could very well play spoilsport.

Filatex India is investing around ₹300 crore to set up a polyester textile recycling plant in Gujarat with an annual capacity of 27,000 tonnes, Chairman and Managing Director Madhu Sudhan Bhageria said.

The plant is expected to be commissioned next month and will recycle polyester textile waste into polyester chips. The company’s in-house technology is capable of recovering around 80-85% of the polyester content from textile waste.

European companies are currently sourcing recycled polyester primarily from plants in China, indicating significant potential for domestic production and exports.

Filatex India began research and development in polyester textile recycling in 2019 and has since secured a patent for its proprietary recycling technology.

The families of 11 Pakistani fishermen, including two teenage boys, who have been arrested by Indian maritime authorities this week, have appealed for their release, pleading they are just poor fishermen.

The families urged the Pakistan government to get them released through diplomatic channels.

Ahmed Brohi, the father of one of the arrested fishermen, Ghulam Mustafa, said they all lived close to each other in Ibrahim Hyderi, a fishing village in west Karachi.

“We are all poor people, and we earn our livelihood through fishing. I urge the government to do something because we have already suffered a lot in the past,” he said on Saturday (December 13, 2025).

According to Mr. Brohi, four years back, three fishermen were arrested for illegally fishing near Sir Creek waters and are still in Indian jails.

Indian media reported that their Coast Guard had apprehended the 11 Pakistani fishermen on Wednesday (December 10) after their boat was found inside Indian waters near Jakhau.

But the chairperson of the Sindh Fisheries Department, Fatima Majeed, said the fishermen might have accidentally crossed over into Indian territorial waters near Kajar Creek.

Since there is no visible demarcation in the Arabian Sea between the two countries, Ms. Majeed said most of the arrests occur near the Kajar Creek or Sir Creek waters, which are close to the Indian state of Gujarat.

She said that for these poor fishermen from both countries, there are no clear borders, and they have to earn a living.

Ms. Majeed added that Kajar Creek and Sir Creek, a little ahead of Thatta, are marshy areas from where fishermen from both countries are often arrested by maritime security or coast guard authorities.

Ms. Majeed said that the fishermen arrested this time have two children, Zaheer and Habib, aged 12 and 15, respectively.

“I urge the Indian authorities to release the children at least, on humanitarian grounds,” she added.

As per records with the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, an advocacy group for poor fishermen in Sindh province, with the latest arrests, the number of Pakistani fishermen in Indian jails has risen to around 74.

Pakistan and Indian governments regularly exchanged prisoners, and most of them were poor fishermen.

However, the process has slowed down since last year due to the ongoing tensions between the two countries.

State-owned explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Monday (December 8, 2025) clarified that the vessel that capsized during a survey assignment in Jambusar coast in Bharuch district of Gujarat was neither managed nor supervised by the company. It added that the personnel onboard were not ONGC employees either.  

“The personnel were engaged by Asian Energy Services Ltd for a survey assignment,” it informed. ONGC clarified Asian Energy Services is an “independent services provider executing seismic and related assignments for multiple clients.” 

The incident happened Sunday (December 7) wherein the survey boat of Asian Energy Services overturned within seconds due to sudden strong tidal currents. A worker onboard lost his life with another missing, whilst the rest have been rescued.