The State Alleged Of Encroaching KoPT Area For Bahabalpur Port.
The battle between the Orissa government and Kolkata Port trust (KoPT) over the latter’s extended area of operations seems to be taking a fresh turn now. A top KoPT official has alleged that the Orissa government had encroached almost half of the Kolkata port’s area for Bahabalpur port, way back in the 90s, much before the row over Kanika sands kicked off.
“For a few years, the Orissa government has been at loggerheads with us over territorial issues, specially on the Kanika Island. They are alleging us of encroaching their area recently and say that Kanika sands falls under Bahabalpur port, notified in 1991. But they had infact encroached almost half of the Kolkata port area, unilaterally through that notification, which was under our jurisdiction according to a notification in 1977,” said a top KoPT official, who does not want to be named. According to sources, though the port contacted the state regarding the Bahabalpur issue many times, there was no response.
“Our extended area comes under international waters and the state government has no right to decide as it is under the Central government,” he added. The issue started after the Kolkata port came out with a plan to build a transloading terminal at Kanika sands during the first half of the last decade. Though the plan was put on hold for some time, it came to limelight recently after the KoPT extended its limits to more than 200 kilo metre south of Haldia into the Bay of Bengal covering an area of 28646 square kilo metre, through a notification on November 10, 2010.
Infact, the port was asked by the Union ministry in March to put on hold the tendering process for a multipurpose jetty to be taken up on the public-private partnership (PPP) mode. According to port officials, the transloading terminal and 270-metre long multi-purpose jetty are expected to cost around Rs 590 crore and would help it to handle more than 6 million tonnes of cargo per year, which means more than 80 vessels can reach the port. “We want it to happen and were even ready to share a common area of operation with Dhamra or any other port in Orissa coast,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Orissa High Court had asked the KoPT on Thursday, not to take any ‘hasty action’ in expanding the jurisdiction limits. The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL), challenging the KoPT’s jurisdiction expansion move, filed by Keonjhar Navanirman Parishad, a social organization. According to sources, a case is going on in the Calcutta High Court too.
When asked about the issue, G K Dhal, Principal Secretary (commerce & transport) of Orissa, hinted that the state would follow the legal course against the KoPT’s extension of area. According to the state, the KoPT’s move would affect seven upcoming ports — like Dhamara, Chudamani, Chandipur, Inchudi, Subarnarekha, Bichitrapur and Bahabalpur — in Orissa.
However, sources said that the state government is against the KoPT’s expansion in international waters because of a concession agreement with Dhamra port, promising that there would be no other commercial port operation in radius of 25 km till Dhamra port gets good business. Dhamra port is a 50:50 joint venture between Tata Steel and Larsen & Toubro.
When asked about the latest development and the Bahabalpur encroachment issue, KoPT officials said that they are ready for a legal battle as the area of dispute comes under the Centre government. However, with the fresh allegations of Orissa’s Bahabalpur encroachment, it seems the battle for international waters is getting murkier.
