KOCHI: Protests are brewing among trade unions in the port sector over the decision of the Union Government to divest its shares in the Visakhapatnam based-Dredging Corporation of India (DCI), a Miniratna Category-I public sector undertaking. The government’s decision is to divest its entire stake of 73.47 per cent through which around Rs1,400-Rs1,500 crore is expected to be mobilised.
Water Transport Workers Federation of India (WTWFI) leaders have written to the Prime Minister and the Union Minister of Shipping, appealing to restrain from implementing the decision considering the best interest of the major ports and the nation at large.
The WTWFI leaders expressed apprehension over the hasty decision taken without assessing its implications, could facilitate cartelisation by national and international private dredging companies. The trade union leaders also said it is the services of the DCI that helped complete capital dredging for the Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) and maintenance dredging for the Cochin Port.
“The Cochin Port could realise its ICT project with the services offered by the DCI. When private dredging companies abandoned the capital dredging work midway, the DCI came to the rescue and completed the dredging work. The DCI also supported in conducting the nautical depth concept study which helped the Port Trust to reduce the annual dredging cost by 25 per cent. We cannot expect such commendable service and flexibility from any private dredging firm,” said WTWFI president C D Nandakumar.
“The DCI is a strategic organisation in many respects. The Indian Navy will be forced to entrust the dredging requirements to private firms in the absence of the DCI,” he said.
Endorsing the apprehension raised by the WTWFI, the All India Port and Dock Workers Federation said the decision to divest the DCI is going to leave a huge economic burden on the major ports. The DCI is carrying out dredging in at least eight major ports of India. This proves the need for retaining the DCI as a public sector enterprise,” said All India Port and Dock Workers Federation president P M Mohammed Haneef.