State to press for notification withdrawal

BHUBANESWAR: The next meeting on the issue of Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) extending its jurisdiction is scheduled in Delhi on June 2. The State Government on Thursday prepared its strategy to counter the West Bengal Government’s territorial expansion on sea water.Ahead of the Delhi meeting convened by Union Shipping Secretary K  Mohandas, Chief Secretary BK Patnaik discussed the issue at a meeting attended by senior government officers and representatives of private port developers.The State Government has made its point very clear to the Centre and nothing less than withdrawal of the notification extending the territorial jurisdiction of Kolkata Port will be acceptable to Orissa, Commerce and Transport Principal Secretary Gagan Dhal told this paper.The Kolkata Port Trust has extended its jurisdiction to more than 200 km south of Haldia into the Bay of Bengal through a notification issued by the West Bengal Government on November 10 last year. The extended jurisdiction of KoPT covers an area of 28,646 sq km.It will seriously affect the  prospects of  upcoming ports along the north Orissa coast. The revised limits of KoPT will  seriously affect the business interests of Dhamra, Chudamani, Chandipur, Inchudi, Subarnarekha, Bichitrapur and Bahabalpur ports in the State.The arbitrary move of the West Bengal Government was challenged in the Orissa High Court by a voluntary organisation Keonjhar Nava Nirman Parishad demanding revocation of the notification.The High Court recently asked the Centre not to precipitate matters by taking  action on the notification of the territorial expansion of KoPT.The issue rocked the Budget Session of the Assembly with members cutting across partylines slammed the West Bengal Government for its unilateral  move to expand KoPT’s jurisdiction. Describing it as a conspiracy to stop the development of ports in the State, the BJD legislators demanded  a resolution seeking withdrawal of the notification.