Orissa HC asks KoPT to submit traffic details at Kanika Sands

The Orissa High Court on Thursday asked the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) to submit traffic details at Kanika Sand, located off the Orissa coast, while hearing a case related to the extension of the port’s limits.

The High Court had earlier asked KoPT not to start any operation at this disputed site located in the Bay of Bengal. While Orissa claims its territorial ownership over this small land mass inside the sea, KoPT, disputing this claim, proposes to set up a transloading facility there and has unilaterally extended its port limit for the purpose.

However, KoPT last month said that it has already started operations on the area of contention. “We have already started operations in the area two months ago by handling a ship (Merina-R) handling 15,000 tonnes of peas. The port also asked the shipping community to operate in the area by using cranes, till the proposed transloading terminal comes into being,” said M L Meena, Chairman, KoPT.

The court on Thursday ordered the port representatives to submit fresh affidavits showing the details of operation at Kanika Sands while hearing a public interest litigation case, filed by Keonjhar Nava Nirman Parishad, an NGO .

On November 10, the KoPT through a notification had extended the port limits. The revised limits of KoPT is stretched beyond 200 km south of Haldia into the Bay of Bengal, covering an area of 28,646 sq km. This unilateral decision of KoPT had snowballed into a major controversy with the Orissa government vociferously opposing the move.

The Orissa government had complained to the Centre that KoPT move to locate its transloading facility near the coastal waters of Orissa will severely affect the business of Dhamara port, a 50:50 joint venture of Tata Steel and Larsen & Toubro (L&T). Dhamara Port has an exclusivity agreement with the Orissa government, according to which no other port facility can be created within 25 km.