HC cannot interfere in minor port development, says state govt

Even as the Orissa High Court (HC) had restrained the state government from developing minor ports through the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) route, the state government has categorically stated in its response that it is following the policy laid down by the Government of India in selecting minor port developers.

Hence, the HC cannot interfere in the matter, argued the government. The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for June 21.

"We have already submitted our response to the Orissa High Court in the case relating to the development of minor ports. In our response, we have said, it is the state's prerogative to develop minor ports either through MoU or bidding route and the High Court cannot interfere in the matter,” a top official source told Business Standard.

The HC order restraining the state government from developing minor ports through the MoU route came on May 30 and was passed by a vacation bench consisting of Justice Indrajit Mohanty and Justice S K Mishra.

"The state government shall not sign any further MoU or any concessionaire agreement with any port developer without the leave of this court," the bench observed.

It may be noted that environmentalist Biswajit Mohanty had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the HC, questioning the morality of the state government in signing MoUs with the port developers.

"The state government is not following any specific guideline although the Central government has stipulated that the ports should be set up after an international bidding. As many as 26 ports are in the pipeline and the state government has signed MoUs with three developers", Mohanty had stated in the PIL.