After five months, Union minister of shipping for state Mukul Roy has some work on his plate. In a bid to save the ailing Haldia port under the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) and also serve the interests of other ports in the region, the shipping ministry has asked Roy to look after Kolkata, Haldia and Paradip ports on a regular basis.

Said Roy: ??Till September 24, I was not given any work to do. From September 25, I have been given the charge of the Kolkata, Haldia and Paradip ports. Now I will be able to take official decisions on Haldia port.??

Although the UPA-II government was formed in May, for about five months the government did not give priority to the ailing Haldia Dock System, under KoPT.

Subhendu Adhikary, MP from Tamluk, under whose jurisdiction falls Haldia port, said he has been in touch with shipping minister GK Vasan to prioritise Haldia and that he had managed to persuade Vasan to set up an expert committee on the feasibility of creating a new shipping channel.

??Although all riverine ports across the world are being switched off, we will not allow closure of Haldia,?? Roy said. Over Rs 50,000 crore worth of investment has been proposed in eastern region depending on Haldia. So this port cannot be allowed to close down,?? Adhikary added.

After meeting with KoPT authorities in Haldia on Saturday, Roy said a task force with senior KoPT officials will be formed to monitor day to day dredging and draught conditions of the Auckland and Jhelingham channels. For that purpose, some senior officials of the Directorate of Marine Department and Hydraulic Engineering Department will have to shift their offices from Kolkata to Haldia.

??The Jhelingham and Auckland channels? depth will have to be at least 4 meters round the year and Dredging Corporation India?s (DCI?s) dredging activities will have to be monitored for it,?? Roy said. ??There are complaints regarding DCI’s way of functioning and I will look into it seriously.??

Dredger number 15, which is the most effective dredger, will set sail from Colombo to Haldia in another two three days, Roy said. He said the ministry will also aid KoPT?s plan of setting up additional jetties along the banks of the confluence of the Haldia and Hooghly rivers and near Sagar, where the rivers meet the sea, as well.

The plan to build additional docks at Diamond Harbour will also get a boost and the shipping ministry will soon start talks with the defence ministry for land.