After facing land acquisition problems to set up a steel plant in Orissa it?s now Posco?s port proposal that is mired in trouble. Uncertainty looms over the Rs 5,000-crore port project at Jatadhari near the Bay of Bengal as its jurisdiction clashes with that of Paradip port, a major government port.
That the jurisdiction of the Posco-proposed captive port at Jatadhari overlaps with that of the Paradip port has come to the knowledge of the state government recently when it sought the opinion of experts on finalising the port jurisdictions of Astaranga and Jatadhari.
??The jurisdiction of Posco-proposed Jatadhari Port is overlapping with that of the Paradip Port,?? a senior officer of the state commerce and transport department told FE. According to him, when the port jurisdiction of Jatadhari was notified, the Paradip Port jurisdiction was not taken into consideration.
The state government signed an MoU with Posco for facilitating the establishment of a 12 million tonne steel plant along with a captive port at Jatadhari, on the river mouth of Mahanadi, in 2005. The site is only 12 km south of Paradip port.
??Since Paradip Port is an existing major port, its jurisdiction cannot be reduced. The only option left is to shrink the area of Jatadhari port,?? said the senior official. However, this may raise a question on the techno-economic feasibility of Jatadhari port.
The captive port at Jatadhari, which will support the steel major’s 12 million tonne steel project in Jagatsinghpur district, is proposed to be implemented in two phases. In the first phase it will have 10 million tonne per annum capacity and will be expanded to 31 mtpa in the second phase. The port is expected to handle 15 million tonne of raw imports and 16 million tonne of product exports. The port project has been accorded the environmental clearance by the environment and forest ministry.
Ever since the Jatadhari port was proposed, the Paradip Port authorities have been objecting to its location. They warned that the proposed port can lead to severe erosion along the coastline and pose serious threat to Paradip Port. The shipping ministry as well as Paradip Port Trust had impressed upon the Orissa government that the Paradip port, after deepening of its channels, will be in a position to develop its deep draft dock system and the facility can be available on captive basis to Posco.
Naveen wants peace
Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday said there should be peaceful negotiation with the people for setting up the Posco project in Jagatsinghpur district. Stating that the district administration is taking steps to maintain law and order in the district, Patnaik said everyone should follow the law of the land and maintain peace.
Addressing the press at the secretariat on Tuesday, he refused to take further questions on Posco. District police and administrative officials met the chief minister?s principal secretary, Bijya Patnaik, and apprised him of the situation.
The district police chief told the media there were talks at the Posco site in Jagatsinghpur but refused to give details.
Meanwhile, the five-member BJP parliamentary team that visited the Balitutha on Monday said there should be a probe into the police action against anti-Posco villagers.
