CENTRAL GOVT. ADMITS KANIKA ANCHORAGE BELONGS TO ORISSA
Subhas Chandra Pattanayak
The Bengali conspiracy has apparently failed. The Union apparatus that was addressed to determine as to which provincial limits the Kanika Anchorage belongs, has determined that it belongs to Orissa.
Orissa having been hoodwinked by followers of Biju Patnaik to accept a lingua-non-Oriya as her Chief Minister, transfer of assets of Orissa to non-Oriya hands has become easier. Encouraged by this, agents of Bengali interest in Ports sector had conspired to annex Kanika Sand Anchorage to Kolkata Port Trust.
I had discussed this matter in my note on 01 November 2005. The transport Secretary to Government of Orissa had tried to mislead the people by saying that the Kolkata Port Trust management has withdrawn the international tender notice they had floated and even in the Assembly two Ministers, Transport Minister Jaynarayan Mishra as well as Revenue Minister Manmohan Samal had made assertions echoing the statement of the Secretary. I had to expose their falsity in my note on 12 March 2006 establishing inter alia how the KPT tender notice was in force till then in the Port’s website and how inseparably Kanika Anchorage belongs to Orissa notwithstanding the State Government’s failure in including her in the list of minor ports. This website had notified the DG of Shipping, Govt. of India as well as the concerned Central Ministry of the discussion referred to above and had made the State Government take note that any negligence on their part would be construed as deliberate mischief against national interest of the Oriyas.
In such sensitive circumstances, the situation has been set at ease by admission of the central apparatus that Kanika Anchorage belongs to Orissa. But constant vigil is needed because the Bengali elements have not yet admitted that they had erred.