• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

The West Bengal Government, it appears, is determined to launch a chemical hub at Haldia. One wonders if the Government is aware of the real condition of the Hooghly river and the oil jetties at Haldia dock. Heavy siltation in the river near the jetties, which already handle chemical tankers for the units located at Haldia, has created enormous problems for the dock as well as the plants, especially as the jetties are often put out of commission.

While the condition of the river near the No 1 oil jetty is particularly bad, that near two other jetties is not very different either. On several occasions, chemical tankers have had to be shifted from the jetties to inside the dock though this was of no great advantage. The siltation at the lock entrance too is causing concern. Besides, the occupation of a general cargo berth by a tanker throws up host of other problems.

Several rounds of high-level meetings were held recently between the Chairmen of the Kolkata Port Trust and Dredging Corporation of India in Kolkata as also in New Delhi at the Ministry level but with no immediate remedy to such a complex problem in sight.

Our Bureau

More Stories on : Shipping | Chemicals | West Bengal

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Port competition reaches subcontinental proportions

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line