The Orissa government has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court, requesting the apex court not to decide anything on the issue of extension of limits of Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) without hearing Orissa's point of view.
The territorial dispute over coastal waters between Orissa and KoPT had reached the highest judiciary in the country with the KoPT authorities filing a petition in the Supreme Court, demanding withdrawal of cases pending in the Orissa and Calcutta High Courts. The apex court, is however, yet to admit KoPT's petition.
"We have filed a caveat in the Supreme Court in the matter relating to unilateral extension of KoPT's limits. Our plea is that the apex court should not decide anything without hearing our point of view”, said a highly placed official source.
The Orissa government refused to budge from its stand that the notification that had unilaterally extended the KoPT limits be withdrawn.
The unilateral extension of KoPT limits had snowballed into a major controversy with the Orissa government protesting the move. The state was sore over the fact that it was not consulted by the KoPT authorities before the issue of notification to extend port limits.
The state government had argued that the KoPT move would seriously jeopardize the operations of the minor ports coming up on the state's coastline.
At a recent meeting called by the state government, the developers of Dhamara, Kirtania and Astaranga ports had voiced their strong opposition to the extension of KoPT limits.
Public Interest Litigations (PILs) were also filed in the Orissa and Calcutta High Courts, seeking scrapping of the notification that had extended the KoPT limits.
The Orissa High Court had recently asked the KoPT authorities not to act in haste in connection with the issue of extension of port limits. A two-member bench of the High Court (HC) consisting of Chief Justice V Gopal Gouda and Justice B M Mahapatra had begun preliminary hearing on the matter.
Though the Orissa government and KoPT authorities were prepared to take legal recourse for settling the dispute, the Union shipping ministry is believed to be against taking the legal route.
On January 20 this year, the Orissa government had shot off a strong letter to the Centre on the issue of extension of limits of KoPT.
The revised limits of KoPT extends more than 200 km south of Haldia into the Bay of Bengal covering an area of 28,646 sq km, blocking the entire coast of North Orissa where seven ports are being developed.
The revised limits effectively block the access to Dhamara port which is already developed and the access to all future ports north of Dhamara including Chudamani, Chandipur, Inchudi, Subarnarekha mouth, Bichitrapur and Bahabalpur.
It may be noted that the Orissa government has already signed MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) and concession agreement for the ports proposed at Chudamani and Subarnarekha mouth respectively.
