| Not much is known why the responsibility for the upkeep of Howrah Bridge was entrusted with the Kolkata Port Trust. But since its construction in 1941, the Kolkata Port Trust has been providing for an annual budget to maintain the bridge. For this, it does not get any subsidy from the either the state government or the central government. |
| Periodically, the huge steel structure""a cantilever bridge that is the busiest in the world""gets a coat of fresh paint. That job too is undertaken by the Trust at its cost. Painting the bridge is itself an engineering feat""sending somebody 300 feet high to paint the top of the bridge is also a breathtaking sight. At present, the bridge is getting a fresh coat of paint""and the same silver colour is being retained. |
| The Kolkata Port Trust management has now gone a step forward. It feels that the bridge is the most recognisable landmark in the whole of eastern India. The city of Kolkata is most easily identifiable with Howrah Bridge. |
| So, it has commissioned a project to light up the bridge at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore. The internationally acclaimed stage-lighting expert, Tapas Sen, has been given the job to create the light effects so that the bridge can remain illumined even at night. |
| It is a brilliant idea and one wonders why this thought did not dawn on the authorities earlier. But the question that also crops us is that why the Kolkata Port Trust should do all this. |
| There are several reasons why such a question arises. One, maintaining a bridge is not the Kolkata Port Trust's core competence. Two, lighting up the city's most visible landmark is also not its responsibility. |
| Three, the port is a facility owned and operated by the central government. So, why should a central government body be worried about the upkeep of a city facility? |
| The answer perhaps lies in the management principle that influences the Kolkata Port Trust. It is clear that the Kolkata Port Trust is least bothered by issues such as whether maintaining the bridge is its responsibility or not. Since it has been given this responsibility, it wants to do a good job of it. |
| If you don't believe this, take a look at the second Hooghly bridge, called Vidyasagar Setu. It looks more modern, but it is a toll bridge. But not much differentiates the two bridges at least from the maintenance point of view. |
| In spite of touching 65 years, Howrah Bridge is reasonably well-maintained considering its heavy usage by pedestrians and motor vehicles. Vidyasagar Setu is used by fewer vehicles because every time you cross it, you have to shell out some cash. But in spite of that, the bridge's maintenance leaves a lot to be desired. |
| The same management principle has encouraged the Kolkata Port Trust to achieve a smart recovery in its performance of loading and unloading cargo. |
| Last year, it was the third largest port in terms of handling cargo and this year it has notched up the second position with a cargo haulage of over 46 million tonnes, a growth of about 12 per cent. |
| It is faced with stiff competition from new private ports coming up on the eastern coast, like the one being set up at Dhamra in Orissa by Tata Steel, and from new pipelines, like the one Indian Oil Corporation is constructing from Paradip to inland areas. Both these moves will dry up the cargo-handling business for the Kolkata Port Trust. But it shows no signs of shying away from competition. |
| Already, it has installed a mobile harbour crane to reduce the container-handling time by one-third. With this, it has managed to reduce the terminal-handling charges by 30 per cent. |
| It now plans to do away with the stevedore agents so that the port directly can handle the containerised cargo using the mobile harbour crane at a lower cost. So, even as competition hots up, the Kolkata Port Trust management has taken steps to retain its edge over potential rivals. |
| Don't forget that at work is the same principle which influenced the port's decision to maintain Howrah Bridge well and make it even look better. |
| In many ways, it is the public sector spirit at work. There are several instances in India where a public sector undertaking or a state-owned enterprise has played a stellar role in not only staying ahead of the competition through better performance, but has also made itself socially more relevant. The Kolkata Port Trust is one such example. |
| In a country where civic authorities are reluctant to levy user charges to maintain the amenities they offer, state-owned enterprises often end up playing a crucial role in the upkeep of such infrastructure facilities. That is what makes the public sector in India so unique and the lessons from Howrah Bridge so relevant. |
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