Klong Toey smart port plan to progress

Panel to begin reviewing place management, land usage and community welfare

Bustling Bangkok Port, run by the Port Authority of Thailand, is located on the east bank of the Chao Phraya River in Klong Toey district. (Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut)
On the west banks of the Chao Phraya River in the Klong Toey city, the Port Authority of Thailand runs the notorious Bangkok Port. ( Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut )

This month will be the subject of discussions regarding area use in the Klong Toey Port restoration project, according to Deputy Transport Minister Manaporn Charoensri on Saturday.

The Bangkok Port Development Committee will set up sub-committees on place management, land usage and community welfare to collect information for decision-making, she said.

The Customs Department’s 20-rai plot, which it now uses to store confiscated Siamese hardwood, has a significant future issue, which the ministry believes could be addressed.

Ms. Manaporn claimed that there are no programs to include an entertainment advanced, as had been rumored, and that the 2,300-rai Klong Toey Port would be transformed into a bright port.

A recent poll of the government’s public opinion poll found support for moving the dock out of the town, but officials appear to be working on it instead.

Part of the land may be developed as a mixed-use task with the private sector, including organizations like Central Group, she added.

The program also includes a group cover project, which will be discussed. The Port Authority of Thailand ( PAT ) director, Kriengkrai Chaisiriwongsuk, has been asked to study the National Housing Authority’s Din Daeng flats model.

She said the evacuation of Shell, PTT, and Bangchak’s oil storage facilities necessitated a review of the licensing agreements.

A new stage of Chon Buri’s Laem Chabang Port, where area rehabilitation is currently being carried out, may serve as an alternative webpage if relocation is required, she said.

With taxpayers ‘ dollars spent on research and tens of millions of baht in the port area, port redevelopment has been on the agenda for more than three decades, and it has only just resumed its momentum.