KoPT officials stand by ABG decision to stop work

3 September 2012

biswabrata goswami
HALDIA, 3 SEPT: A majority of officials working in the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) will stand beside ABG, a private logistic company, which has recently threatened to suspend operations from 8 September unless it is offered a better deal by the port authorities.
The port officials, who won the election of the Haldia Dock Officers’ forum yesterday by defeating their rivals in the four prominent posts of the forum, said: “We will make all efforts so that ABG continues with its operations without any hurdle and we will replicate this ABG model while mechanising other berths of Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) for maximum realisation to the port”.
Mr Ramakant Burman, a senior port official who has been elected as general secretary of the forum said: “Our union will work for the betterment and financial revival of HDC and KoPT for the next two years”.
Mr Burman, convener of the Haldia Dock Bachao Committee and a senior port officer in Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) who had been instrumental in saving the port through his pro-development movements and initiatives, was suspended a few months ago by the KoPT chairman, Mr ML Meena, when he had raised his voice against the corruption relating to the land reclamation project at the Sagar Islands.
Mr Burman had said that the project was not viable because the location of the proposed port was chalked out on the western side of the island where land would be reclaimed through shore disposal of dredge proceeds from the Auckland bar. While replying to questions mailed to the KoPT chairman, Mr Meena had then said: “The removal of impediments has created a safe waterway towards Haldia via upper Auckland that is a scope of alternate ship movement through Eden Channel, by-passing lower Auckland.”
“The shipping route/channel cannot be compared with highways or any static route. The shipping channel in hydrodynamic environment could neither be created nor deserted overnight. Thus Auckland channel cannot be overlooked at the present hydrodynamic scenario,” he had said.
But, according to the study reports of RITES, if Sagar West port is situated at downstream of Bedford group of Islands and thereby possibility of sedimentation caused by eroded Bedford Island may yield adverse effect in the approach channel.
Two days ago, when Mr Meena placed his project proposal in KoPT's board meeting, the project was put on hold owing to lack of funds and adverse report of RITES on the proposed project.
“This issue had triggered sensation among most of the port officials who perhaps supported Mr Burman’s group in the election of the forum”, said a port official. Mr Burman’s suspension, meanwhile, was withdrawn and he has been reinstated in his post at Haldia, he added.
In the election, Mr Yudhisthir Manna was elected president, while Mr P Mahapatra and Mr B Sengupta were elected as vice-presidents and Mr Manabendra Giri as joint secretary of the forum.