The Planning Commission has finally cleared the river regulatory scheme (RRS), designed to improve navigability of the Hooghly river. An investment of Rs 900-1000 crore is likely to go in the scheme, which is Rs 330 crore up from that estimated in 2003-04 due to rising costs of dredging during the last two years. The river regulatory scheme is meant for tackling low draught of the Haldia port.
Rajeev Dube, deputy chairman of the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC), an arm of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), told FE that the Planning Commission cleared the scheme in March and that now a revalidation study will be undertaken. The study will reestimate the cost, after which it will go to the public investment board for clearance.
Dube said the main component of the river regulatory scheme is capital dredging at Balari bar on Hooghly river (off the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) and on the confluence of the Hooghly and Haldi rivers).
Rising siltation along with shoaling has dropped the Hooghly river?s draught from a required 8.5 metre to below 7.5 metre. As a result, the average parcel load, which was 22,000-23,000 tonne per ship, has dropped below 20,000 tonne, which implies more number of ships are required for the same volume of cargo handling. This effects in longer period of pre-berthing detention, port officials said.
Dube said while 2,293 ships called the Haldia Port in 2006-07, the number went up to 2,343 in 2007-08. However, the increased number of ships had to be handled with the same infrastructure. Although it had a positive impact on the port?s balance sheet, overall trade in eastern India got hampered.
?In fact, Paradip Port gains from HDC?s draught constraint as ships with parcel load of above 20,000 tonne have to call the Paradip Port for reducing the parcel size. But HDC will never lose its relevance because of its location advantage of a large hinterland covering the entire east and northeast,? Dube said.
The Planning Commission probably undermined the strategic importance of the RRS because of the proposed deep-sea port in West Bengal, officials said.