Kolkata: Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) on Saturday welcomed the government's move to pitch for corporatisation of state-run ports in the country.
"We welcome the move of corporatisation. We are ready for it if government asks so. This will help us in raising resources," KoPT chairman RPS Kahlon told. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his Budget speech, said the government will encourage ports to become companies under the current legislation.
Presenting the proposals, Jaitley said: "Ports need to attract investment as well as leverage the huge land resource lying unused with them. "To enable us to do so, ports in public sector will be encouraged to corporatise and become companies."
KoPT had also initiated several projects like development of berth facilities at Haldia Dock II (Salukkhali), Diamond Harbour Container Terminal, Transloading facilities at Sandheads and its vicinity for midstream handling of Dry Bulk, development of floating storage operations but these are been planned in PPP model.
Meanwhile, the exemption to construction, erection, commissioning or installation of original works pertaining to an airport or port is being withdrawn. India has 12 major ports -- Kandla, Mumbai, JNPT (Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust), Marmugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, VO Chidambarnar (formerly Tuticorin Port), Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia) -- which handle approximately 61 per cent of the country's total cargo traffic.
Meanwhile, workers of all the major ports have announced an indefinite strike from March 9 against any move of the government to corporatise the sector.
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