The Hindu Business Line : Ministries of Shipping, Highways may be merged

WITH Mr T.R. Baalu of the DMK being allocated the shipping portfolio along with Road Transport & Highways, the stage is set for the merger of the two Ministries into a single Surface Transport Ministry.

If this comes about, the Surface Transport Ministry will have two Departments: one dealing with shipping and the other pertaining to road transport and highways.

Mr Baalu will look after the Shipping and Road Transport & Highway Departments holding Cabinet rank.

There is no Minister of State for Shipping while Mr K.H. Muniappa will be the Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways.

The previous NDA Government had bifurcated the Surface Transport Ministry into Ministry of Shipping and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to accommodate a jumbo cabinet.

The crisis in the fledgling Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government triggered by the refusal of DMK Ministers to take charge of their portfolios blew over on Tuesday, with the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, deciding to allocate portfolios to them as promised.

The DMK Minister, Mr Dayanidhi Maran, told reporters after a meeting with Dr Singh that the Prime Minister had already communicated to the President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, that Mr Baalu will be in charge of the Surface Transport Ministry, including shipping, road transport and highways, while Mr Palanimanickam will be Minister of State for Finance.

Mr Maran said the crisis over the portfolios had been resolved with the timely intervention of the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi.

A high-powered committee meeting of the DMK party in Chennai on Tuesday evening will decide when the DMK ministers will assume office.

In a bid to end the DMK-Congress stand off over portfolio allocation, the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) Chief, Mr K. Chandrashekhar Rao, (who assumed office as Union Shipping Minister on Monday) met the Prime Minister on Tuesday and offered to relinquish the Shipping Ministry being sought by the DMK.

Mr Rao told reporters after his meeting with Dr Singh that he had requested the Prime Minister to "re-allocate" the shipping portfolio as "it is the prerogative of the prime minister."

"Last night, I met the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, on the issue of the DMK demanding the Shipping Ministry. For the sake of stability of this Government, I asked the prime minister to re-allocate my portfolio. I am not after power or position. I only want a separate Telangana state," he said.

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