August 30, 2008
Port workers want ports to do own dredging operations
It is reported that All India Port & Dock Workers Federation has urged union shipping ministry to take steps to permit ports to carry out their own dredging operations by inviting competitive tenders and involving all interested parties.
In a letter to the secretary at union ministry of shipping, Mr PM Mohammed Haneef general secretary of All India Port & Dock Workers Federation, pointed out that the maintenance dredging cost was one of the major expenditures of the ports and the expenses incurred by them to carry out the work through contract has increased tremendously.
Mr Haneef said that although the port administration makes all efforts to improve the financial performance of the ports by improving the productivity on one side and restricting and controlling all avoidable expenses on the other, no serious and effective steps were taken for optimizing the cost of dredging.
He added that on the other hand, all the major ports of India are made to incur exorbitant dredging cost because of various decisions or guidelines and pre qualification norms imposed by the ministry. Moreover, those who do not satisfy the pre qualification criteria are banned from participating in the tenders.
He said the opinion of experts was that the stringent pre qualifying criteria stipulated have no relation to the aim to create a channel of particular length, width and depth and it is intended to entertain foreign cartels.
Mr Haneef further added that Indian dredging companies, which had successful track records, are disqualified because of the failure from the pre qualifying criteria especially in terms of financial criteria prescribed and this situation prevents the contractors, who have really achieved creation of channel at guaranteed depth at major ports and quoted low rates. Further, the proposals sent by several Port Trust boards to procure their own dredgers to meet their dredging requirements are either kept without taking any decision or rejected.
