Team from shipping ministry arrives in Haldia

17 November 2012

biswabrata goswami
HALDIA, 17 NOV: Days after the French government’s intervention in the Haldia Bulk Terminals fiasco, a three-member team from the Union ministry of Shipping visited Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) today to carry out an “internal inquiry” into the recent impasse.
 The team that comprises of Mr S Tripathy, deputy secretary (ST), Ministry of Shipping, public private partnership expert of the Ministry, Mr Anuj Agarwal,  and Mr A Janardhana Rao, Managing Director of Indian Ports Association, talked with the leaders of the Haldia Dock Bachao Committee and the retrenched workers of the Haldia Bulk Terminals, a joint venture of ABG and LDA.
 The three officials had met senior ABG officials and senior Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) officials yesterday evening where KoPT chairman, Mr Manish Jain was conspicuous by his absence.
The French embassy had approached the Indian government a few days again, following a request from Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA), the French partner of ABG Infralogistics, asking for a safe exit from Haldia. This happened after the port threatened that it would not allow HBT to move its equipments worth Rs 140 crore out of Haldia.
HBT, earning the highest revenue for Bengal’s trouble-ridden Haldia Dock Complex (HDC), on 31 October announced its decision to quit the complex blaming the state government for not providing a secure environment for it to work in. The port later retaliated by blacklisting HBT and started the process to re-tender berths 2 and 8 at Haldia Dock Complex where it was operating.
The Haldia Dock Officers’ Forum and Haldia Dock Bachao Committee had sought the intervention of Prime Minister  Manmohan Singh and Union Minister of Shipping G K Vasan in the Haldia port affairs in the wake of the HBT's decision to quit the HDC. 
On 10 October, the KoPt chairman had sent a report to the ministry of shipping regarding the crisis developed with the HBT at Haldia port.
“But, the report did not satisfy the shipping ministry which has finally sent a three-member team to carry out a probe into this matter”, said a senior port officer.
 During the talks with the team officials, the Haldia Dock Bachao Committee categorically demanded that shore operations at the births be included in the tender process.
“How a private firm without a valid licence from KoPT had been handling around 10 million tons of cargo per annum earning around Rs 200 crore  without sharing any revenue with KoPT,” said Mr Ramakant Burman, convener of the Committee.
 They also informed that shore operation has not been included while tendering out of the handling operation of 4B berth at Haldia port.
“If the shore operation is not included, the KoPT will lose to the tune of Rs 320 crore in ten years. So, this should be included in the tender bid”, he said.
 “If HBT does not turn up against the request, the Center may allow the KoPT to re-tender the berths 2 and 8.
“But, in this case, the lowest bidder will have to submit its bid maintaining the reserve price of Rs 75 so that the KoPT will not suffer any loss further,”Mr Burman said.