Orissa to consult minor port developers ahead of Central meet

The Orissa government which is entangled in a pitched battle with the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) over the unilateral extension of the port's limits, is pulling all stops to protect the state's interests and ensure that the minor ports coming up along the state's coastline are not threatened.

The state government has now decided to consult the promoters of all proposed minor ports including the Dhamara Ports Company Limited (DPCL) to arm itself fully ahead of the next meeting of the Union shipping ministry on the issue of extension of KoPT's limits which is likely to be held by the end of this month.

"The Government of India wants to have another round of discussions on the issue of extension of KoPT's extension limits. The date of the meeting has not been fixed but it is likely to be held by the end of this month. We will take the views of all the minor port developers including Dhamara Port. The state government is in the process of collecting various facts on the issue and we will ensure that the state's interests are not compromised”, state Chief Secretary B K Patnaik told mediapersons.

When asked if the state government would counter KoPT's move to extend port limits by KoPT in the aftermath of the recently concluded Bengal polls, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “Of course, we will counter that”.

The extension of Kolkata port's limits had snowballed into a major controversy with the Orissa High Court recently directing the KoPT authorities not to act in haste in connection with the issue of extension of port limits.

The next hearing on the matter in the High Court (HC) is scheduled for June 21. It may be noted that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Orissa HC, opposing the move of KoPT to extend its port limits arbitrarily. The PIL had sought revocation of the notification to extend the port's limits.

Meanwhile, the shipping ministry is understood to have decided against taking the legal route for settling the dispute over territorial sea waters between the governments of West Bengal and Orissa.

The Orissa government had raised the issue after KoPT had decided to locate such a facility near the coastal waters of Orissa, threatening 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.

The unilateral extension of KoPT's port limits had evoked the wrath of the Orissa government which had vociferously opposed the move. The state government was even contemplating legal action against KoPT if the Centre did not heed its concerns.