Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Shipping Minister Allays Fears of Adverse Impact of Orissa Port Due to Extension of Kolkata Port

The Chief Minister of Odisha Shri Naveen Patnaik, today called on Union Minister of Shipping Shri G.K. Vasan to discuss issues relating to development of ports in Odisha.

The issue of extension of port limits of Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) also came up for discussion. The Minister of Shipping stated that the KoPT limits were extended basically for providing transloading facilities at the Kolkata Port. He assured that this would have no adverse impact on the ports in Odisha, allaying the apprehension of the Chief Minister that the move may hinder the development of non-major ports in the north coast of Odisha.

Minister of Shipping said that there was no intention to let any port suffer on account of such an expansion. He further stated that Ministry of Shipping would support and encourage minor ports which play an equally important role in the development of national economy. However, since the Chief Minister of Odisha had expressed apprehensions over the impact of the extension of the port limits, Shri G.K. Vasan directed that consultations may be held on this issue with representation from all sides.

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