The Orissa government has raised a hue and cry about the extension of Kolkata port limits right up to the Orissa coast to enable it to start transloading facilities, and thus revive the twin docks of Haldia and Kolkata. In his first interview after the Orissa government threatened legal action, ML Meena, chairman, Kolkata Port Trust, tells FE?s Indronil Roychowdhury and Sudipta Datta that he?s willing to meet the Tatas or anyone else ? Dhamra Port is a Tata-L&T project ? and explain why the extension of Kolkata port limits will not hamper other ports.
The Orissa government is weighing legal action over the port extension. Are you concerned?
If they overreact what can I do? Legally, we are very strong. If Dhamra wants to use the area, let them use it. It’s national water, anyone can use it.
So, why did it take so long to extend the port limit so that transloading can start?
Earlier, we approached the Orissa government but they refused to give permission, as a result the project was held up. If they would have allowed KoPT to use the waters, we could have launched transloading much earlier. If the trade finds it cost effective and efficient, they will come. If Dhamra port is more cost effective and efficient, industry will go there.
Dhamra is adamant that this will kill their cargo…
If somebody makes the Tatas understand that transloading is going to save money for the nation, I am sure that nobody will make it an issue. If required I can talk to the Tatas to make Dhamra understand not to take a narrow view.
But will transloading save the Bengal ports?
If transloading is not done, handling charges will be double, trade will have to pay more to shipping lines. With this, cape-sized vessels will be able to come, carrying 120,000 tonne of cargo. It will save a lot of national money and also decongest ports. If you want to develop the facility you need to spend crores to develop the infrastructure. Vizag port has just developed a berth for iron-ore, not even for coal. We need at least 17 metre draft for cape-sized vessels.
You still have a huge dredging burden, which is subsidised to the tune of Rs 400 crore annually.
The dredging subsidy will reduce. Once we transload mid-stream and discharge cargo into big barges, they will be able to come in at available draft.
If it’s national water, why did you go to Orissa for permission?
Someone should have gone to the ministry and said it’s national water, where the government has jurisdiction. I need a sheltered place to launch transloading facilities and that is available near the Orissa coast. At Kanika, we can only transload for six months. I gave all the facts and figures, and the ministry understood.
Are you on a strong legal footing?
I will give you just one example. Orissa issued a notice of a Bahabalpur port in 2002, which would have encroached into our area. We are outside Dhamra, we have not encroached, if I say this in court, what will happen to Bahabalpur?
Will SAIL, NTPC cargo use transloading facilities?
If NTPC wants to bring cargo for their Farakka project, won’t it be cheaper to transport cargo through transloading and then through inland waterways than through Paradip?
So will SCI and others participate in the transloading operations? How much of cargo will transloading handle?
We will call an open tender, anybody can participate. We will follow PPP guidelines laid down by the ministry. As for cargo, if all goes to plan, within five years we can handle more than 6 million tonne of cargo like coking coal, thermal coal, iron-ore.