HDC to get dy chairman

After operating without a deputy chairman for more than six months, Haldia Dock Complex(HDC), a part of Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), is finally getting a relief from its woes.

The Ministry of Shipping has cleared the appointment of Manish Jain, a 1994 batch IAS officer of West Bengal, as its new deputy chairman and is expected to take charge this week.

Currently, Jain is the executive director of West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC).

“The ministry has appointed Manish Jain as the new deputy chairman. He will take charge within a week, as soon as the state government releases him, possibly by the end of this week,” said M L Meena, KoPT chairman. The post was vacant for many months, since the former deputy chairman Rajeev Dube passed away.

Employees too seemed upbeat about the appointment of the new deputy chief. “Our chairman was doing an excellent job. But the port was facing some difficulties in day-to-day activities due to the vacant post of a deputy chairman. Now, we are looking forward to the appointment of the new deputy chairman and extend the support of all employees here,” said R K Burman, secretary of Haldia Dock Officers’ Forum.

Haldia, which is one of the busiest ports in the country, contributes around 80 per cent to the traffic and 85% per cent of the total revenue of KoPT. In 2008-09, it handled about 45 metric tonne (MT) of cargo, while it went down to 33 MT during 2009-10.