Hutch Port's plans in Cabinet agenda

The Cabinet will tomorrow consider security clearance for the Hong Kong-based Hutchison Port Holdings' build-own-transfer projects at the Mumbai and Chennai ports.

It will also consider giving bidders for the Kerala government's project the go-ahead to develop the deepwater international container transhipment terminal at Vizhinjan in Kerala. The Cabinet will further seek to exclude file notings from the purview of the Right to Information Act, 2005.

The RTI Act is being amended to state that it would cover any document, manuscript or file, excluding file noting.

However, substantial file noting on plans, schemes and programmes of the government that relate to development and social issues will come under the ambit of the Act.

Officials said though the government had taken the decision to keep file notings out of the Act, the RTI Act did not specifically exclude this thus making the amendment necessary.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), which is also scheduled to meet tomorrow, is expected to consider extending the moratorium period to September 30, 2006 for compensating Indian Airlines for losses incurred in regard to the merger with Vayudoot Ltd.