Kandla

Kandla is a coastal town in the Kutch district of Gujarat, India, located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Kutch near the mouth of the Kandla Creek. It is the site of the Port of Kandla, a major Indian port that is today administered by the Deendayal Port Trust, formerly known as Kandla Port Trust.

The port was developed in the early years after India's independence to provide a strategic, inward trade gateway for the country and to serve as a major export-import harbor for western India. It began operations in the early 1950s and became one of the first large-scale, planned port facilities built after partition. The surrounding towns of Gandhidham and Anjar were established in connection with port operations and refugee resettlement in the post-partition period.

Today, the port is a multi-purpose facility with berths capable of handling container ships, bulk carriers, and general cargo. It handles a mix of containerized freight, dry bulk, and liquid cargo, supported by specialized terminals and associated logistics facilities. The port area includes the Kandla Free Trade Zone and the Kandla SEZ, established to promote exports, manufacturing, and investment.

Deendayal Port Trust governs the port and oversees modernization, dredging, and capacity expansion to maintain connectivity with national road and rail networks. The port’s location near Gandhidham and Anjar links industrial activity in the region to maritime trade, making Kandla a significant gateway for trade in western India.