The ministry of shipping will participate in the Tajpur port only if it is offered 74% stake in the project. On Thursday, the matter will come up for discussion after Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) chairman M T Krishna Babu meets chief secretary Basudeb Banerjee. Other issues to be discussed may include dumping of dredged soil on Nayachar island, extortion by truckers of edible oil in Haldia and road repairs in Kolkata.
The Subarnarekha port, which is coming up in Odisha between Dhamra and Digha, has already posed a threat to the one in Tajpur. This private port may offer a better option to shippers than the proposed one in Bengal. “The Centre had sought details of the Tajpur port but they were not made available by the state government. The Centre had made its stand clear that it will not participate in the project with 26% stake. Ideally, a government agency should have majority stake and create breakwaters, carry out dredging and create other facilities for the port,” Babu said.
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