Trade union leader complains against PPT chief

The working president of Paradip Dock and Transport Workers' Union and former trustee of Paradip Port Trust (PPT), Sudhakar Mantry has lodged a complaint against PPT chairman, K Raghuramaiah at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), New Delhi, holding him responsible for sinking of Mongolian ship Black Rose near the port about a month back.

The trade union leader has accused the PPT chief of violation of The Merchant Shipping Act 1958 and The Major Port Trusts Act, 1963 in this regard.

When contacted by Business Standard, Raghuramaiah said, "Mantry is a union leader with the support of only 30-40 members and he always speaks against the interests of the Paradip port."

Asked on the complaint lodged by Mantry with the CBI, Raghuramaiah said, it has not come to my notice, but he (Mantry) is free to go ahead with his complaint.

Mantry said that Raghuramaiah's administration has allowed the 32-year old vessel to enter the Paradip port five times intermittently without enquiring its valid documents and without maintaining proper procedures as per the provisions of the Major Port Trusts Act 1963 and The Merchant Shipping Act 1958.

In his FIR report, Mantry has raised several queries which include as to whether the surveyor had inspected the sunken vessel before it sailed from the Paradip port and whether this surveyor was a qualified one as per the government certification.

Moreover, he has enquired as to whether the said vessel was chartered by the Director General of Shipping before taken to the sea from the Paradip port as per the provisions of Section 406 of The Merchant Shipping Act 1958. The trimming or leveling work of the cargoes in hatches of all vessels called at Paradip are not being done in a proper manner due to the absence of adequate cargo handling workers, Mantry stated.

“The PPT chairman has directly taken over the responsibility for allotments of plots to the shipping traders even though there is a traffic manager for this purpose. This is a gross mistake on the part of the PPT chairman”, he alleged. “Moreover, some unidentified people were being allowed to enter the prohibited area of the port. On May 28 this year, our union had written a letter to the Union defence ministry to conduct an enquiry into the matter but of no avail”, he added.