Orissa goes to SC over KoPT limits extension

The Orissa Government on Thursday filed a petition in the Supreme Court (SC) challenging the unilateral notification of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) extending the port limits.

Though a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in this regard is pending before the Orissa High Court, the state has filed a fresh case in the apex court as inter-state matters are admissible only in the SC.

“We are aware of the PIL in this regard. But this being a matter of state interest, the government has gone to the Supreme Court,” Ashok Mohanty, advocate general to the Orissa government told Business Standard.

Earlier this year, Keonjhar Nava Nirman Parishad, an NGO, had filed a PIL in the Orissa High Court seeking quashing of the KoPT notification issued on November 10, 2010.

This unilateral decision of KoPT had snowballed into a major controversy with the Orissa government vociferously protesting the move. The state was sore over the fact that it was not consulted by the KoPT authorities before issue of notification.

The revised limits of KoPT extends more than 200 km south of Haldia into the Bay of Bengal, covering an area of 28646 sq km, blocking the entire coast of North Orissa where seven ports were proposed to come up.

The new limits, if becomes effective, will block access to Dhamara port which has already started commercial operation and will also affect the development of future ports north of Dhamara including Chudamani, Chandipur, Inchudi, Subarnarekha mouth, Bichitrapur and Bahabalpur.

The KoPT authorities had already filed a petition in the Supreme Court of India, demanding withdrawal of cases pending in the Orissa and Calcutta High Courts related to the issue. The apex court has, however, not admitted the petition.

In response, the Orissa government had also filed a caveat in the Supreme Court, requesting the apex court not to decide anything on the issue without hearing Orissa's point of view.