The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : BJP blamed for port’s woes

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Wednesday, Mar 04, 2009
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Kerala - Kochi

BJP blamed for port’s woes

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: Cochin Port Staff Association (CPSA) has alleged that leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party and their ‘benami’ dealings were responsible for the negative developments at the Kochi Port and that their activities were destroying the port.

Reacting to a statement from BJP State general secretary A.N. Radhakrishnan on Monday that the Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi had not done much for the port in recent times, the Port Staff Association of which Mr. Ravi is still the leader, said that the Union Minister had rendered unparalleled services to the port.

A statement from P.M. Mohammed Haneef, working president of CPSA said here that Mr. Ravi had intervened in several issues related to the port. The Union Minister had intervened in making the International Container Transhipment Terminal project a reality, claimed the statement from CPSA.

It said that the Kochi port received a grant of Rs.1,185 crore through the intervention of Mr. Ravi. More recently, the Union Minister played an important role in getting the final approval for the Rs.3,250-crore LNG terminal project in Kochi.

Mr. Haneef alleged that the frequent strikes at the port were caused by the vested interests represented by owners of the container trailer lorries serving the port. The statement alleged that the container trailer owners were using the container lorry crew to meet their ends.

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