Lok Sabha Question No. 1746 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-07-30
Subject: Dredging Process at Haldia Port
Ministry: SHIPPING
Asked by: SUVENDU ADHIKARI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SHIPPING

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1746 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30 TH  JULY, 2015

## DREDGING PROCESS AT HALDIA PORT

## 1746.   SHRI SUVENDU ADHIKARI:

Will the Minister of SHIPPING be pleased to State:

## पोत प�रवहन मंत्

- (a) whether the Government proposes to re-start dredging process at Haldia Port in West Bengal;
- (b)
- (c) whether the Government proposes to set up Haldia Port Trust Authority for better commercial development of Haldia Port and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the steps taken/being taken by the Government in view of the increasing incidents of piracy at Indian merchant vessels?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF SHIPPING (SHRI PON. RADHAKRISHNAN)

(a)&(b):The  dredging  process  at  Haldia,  Kolkata  Port  Trust  (KoPT)  is  an  ongoing  one  and  the Government has approved extension of financial assistance to Kolkata Port for Dredging Subsidy as per the details given below:-

| Year    |   Government of India Share (in Rs. crores) |
|---------|---------------------------------------------|
| 2012-13 |                                      396.27 |
| 2013-14 |                                      404.73 |
| 2014-15 |                                      360.18 |
| 2015-16 |                                      340.17 |
| Total   |                                     1501.35 |

- (c) No, Madam. Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) is a Trust under Major Port Trusts Act, 1963. Kolkata Dock System (KDS) and Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) are under a common Board of Trustees. The issue of delinking of Haldia Dock Complex and developing it as an Autonomous Body/Independent Port had been raised from time to time and since 1975, three different committees were constituted by the  Govt.  of  India  and  none  of  the  three  committees  recommended  separation  of  Haldia  Dock Complex  from  Kolkata  Port.  The  recommendation  was  that  both  KDS  and  HDC  should  function under one umbrella of KoPT and play complementary roles supplementing and not supplanting each other.
- (d) The following steps have been initiated by Government as part of various preventive/mitigating security measures to deal with sea-piracy;
- (i) Guidelines for anti-piracy measures to be implemented on Indian Ships through issue of Merchant Shipping Notice No. 1of 2011 dated 14/01/2011. The guidelines provide for  elaborate  anti-piracy  measures  (Best  Management  Practices),  including  safe house/citadel for vessels.
- (ii) Banning of sailing vessels to ply in waters south or west of the line joining Salalah and Male through Merchant Shipping Notice No.3/2010 dated 31/03/2010.
- (iii) Naval escort provided by Indian Naval Ships in the Gulf of Aden since 2008.
- (iv) Enhanced vigil  by the  Indian  Navy  in  the  Indian  Exclusive  Economic  Zone  (EEZ) and westward upto 65 degree east longitude.
- (v) Active participation of India in the security meetings of the International Maritime Organization, Contact Group on Piracy of the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) and other international fora.

*****