Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, May 31: Cooperation and Excise minister Damodara Rout said Monday a conspiracy was being hatched to weaken Orissa’s state-run Paradip port and promote a private one in Bhadrak district.
The minister told newsmen here that ‘‘a group of influential people sponsored by the Centre’’ has hatched a conspiracy to ruin the Paradip port.
Rout, who represents Paradip, said the port had received the Golden Peacock National Quality Award for 2014 and was the second among major ports in India and is going through a bad period.
‘‘Earlier, vessels had to wait for 9-12 days for berthing. But for over one month, the berths are lying vacant because the vessels are being diverted to other ports,” he said.
‘‘It shows the traffic at Paradip port has been reduced substantially, ’’ Rout added.
He said the port did not have even a regular chairman, and the chairman of the Vizag port has been made in-charge of Paradip too.
‘‘Aiming to spoil the port, the Centre has appointed all non-Oriya officers. The chairman, deputy chairman, secretary and other top posts are held by non-Oriya officers. The efficient Oriya officers are transferred to other ports in the country,’’ he said.
He also said around 1,200 workers engaged in manual unloading of wagons were deprived of their jobs due to introduction of mechanics.
Cautioning that, mechanisation will lead to labour problem at the port and blood bath as it happened earlier, the minister asked the port authorities to refrain from such acts.
Hitting out at the Ministry of Shipping , Rout said ‘’state government wants to carry out development initiatives, but the port was not allowing the state to go ahead.”
The minister said the current in-charge of the Paradip Port Trust is serving as the chairman of the Vizag port and the deputy chairman has been transferred from the Madras port.
