After months of wrangling, the Orissa government wants an amicable settlement to its dispute with the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) over extension of the port?s limits. The state government has sent feelers on sharing of transloading facilities that the KoPT proposes to offer at the Konica Sandheads between Haldia and the Dhamra ports.
Orissa had accused KoPT of intruding into Dhamra?s territorial limits, and had taken the fight to the shipping ministry, saying upcoming ports in Orissa would suffer because of the KoPT port limits extension. KoPT chairman ML Meena said Dhamra now wanted to see if the transloading facility could be shared for both the ports? benefit. ?Dhamra has approached me for an amicable settlement and I am open to it,? he said. ?Since the transloading facility is coming up on the national waters, both Haldia and Dhamra can use it to their benefit,? said Meena.
KoPT?s R580-crore transloading project, which includes a berth at Haldia, has already received interest from four parties, including a consortium of Shipping Corporation of India, Bocium, Sea Bulk-Canada, ILFS and IFHPL, Mundra Port, Gammon India, Transtroy India.
As per rules, the companies are shortlisted before the technical bid is floated. But since there are only four parties and ?all are competent?, the shortlisting part may be dropped before inviting the technical bids. KoPT wants to award the project by the end of this year and aims to put it in place by October 2012.