Question : Dredging Process at Haldia Port

(a) whether the Government proposes to re-start dredging process at Haldia Port in West Bengal;
(b) if so, the details and the present status thereof along with the funds allocated for the purpose;
(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?

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.

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