The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) seems to be in undue haste to start work for a deep-draughted port at Sagar even as the Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) dodders at the brink of disaster. According to sources, the draught at Jellingham continues to hover around 3.9 metres and could drop to 3.5 metres in the lean months that start from September. If officials are to be believed, a draught of 3.5 metres wouldn't allow even medium sized vessels to enter the port, the Times of India reported.
"The Eden Channel has been opened at a cost of nearly 8 crore but even this would not help as Jellingham is the governing bar. Six dredgers were supposed to operate at Jellingham according to an agreement between KoPT and the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI). At present, only two dredgers are operating there. Of these, Dredge VI is nearly 35 years old while Dredge XII is facing mechanical trouble. In effect, the two together are performing the work of a single dredger. If this continues, there is bound to be draught cut at Jellingham in the days to come," an official from HDC said.
"The Eden Channel has been opened at a cost of nearly 8 crore but even this would not help as Jellingham is the governing bar. Six dredgers were supposed to operate at Jellingham according to an agreement between KoPT and the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI). At present, only two dredgers are operating there. Of these, Dredge VI is nearly 35 years old while Dredge XII is facing mechanical trouble. In effect, the two together are performing the work of a single dredger. If this continues, there is bound to be draught cut at Jellingham in the days to come," an official from HDC said.