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Thursday, Apr 15, 2004

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National

Free access being given to foreign firms at port trust: Pawar

By Mahesh Vijapurkar

The Nationalist Congress Party leader, Sharad Pawar, along with Admiral Bhagwat addressing a press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday. — Photo: Vivek Bendre

MUMBAI, APRIL 14. The Nationalist Congress Party leader, Sharad Pawar, today accused the Vajpayee Government of "unabashedly giving free access" to foreign companies for critical infrastructure projects such as the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) here "jeopardising" the security of high-value establishments, including the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, the ship building facilities of Mazagon Docks and the missile loading facilities of the Navy.

These facilities were all within close proximity to the JNPT across the Mumbai harbour on the mainland, he said, addressing a press conference. The former Naval Chief, Admiral (retd.) Vishnu Bhagwat, who assisted Mr. Pawar at the media interaction, said that during his tenure at the Naval Headquarters, the recommendation was only to extend the scope of the facilities around and at the JNPT for "national enterprises only." Now "what you have is a foreign enclave at JNPT," he said.

By "doling out the first bulk terminal to P&O, Australia, and the blatant gifting of another" to a Danish shipping firm, Maersk, in consortium with Concor for a 30-year lease, the NDA Government which claimed to be a nationalist party and equated everything with nationalism" had shown that its "recent actions are otherwise." Given the security import of these actions, Mr. Pawar said they had decided to make this an election issue. "Poll time is to educate people," he added.

His points, backed by Admiral Bhagwat, are: the JNPT is also a landing and embarkation point for sensitive cargoes of the Indian Navy, is strategically close to the BARC which is "a high-risk zone" and is "co-located with the Navy's biggest missile, torpedo and ammunition storage, preparation and supply depot on the Western seaboard. These and the 653-acre site in Nhava Sheva where Mazagon Docks was investing in capacities to augment fabrication, "made it dangerous to give open access to any foreign entities."

"I am not against privatisation. But I cannot accept bringing in foreign companies" when "the country's fissile material production facilities are barely a stone's throw away." The trustees of JNPT, like Dr. Shanti Patel had objected as well saying that Maersk might operate the terminal in a manner that only their own ships would ply and prevent others from entering the port.

Mr. Pawar added that apart from these considerations, Maersk might monopolise the entire value chain of shipments.

To campaign from today

Mr. Pawar would restart his campaign for the Lok Sabha elections from tomorrow, though in effect, he started it today by addressing a press conference.

Recovering from a surgery, Mr. Pawar will limit his campaigning to just four public meetings this time.

"I had to listen to quite a few people and take rest. That included the medical advice and I had to listen to my wife as well," he said.

Tomorrow, he flies to Nagpur, then on to Aurangabad, Nashik and Pune, to meet the press.

"The whispering campaign [that he continued to be unwell] that has gone on since I was operated upon will perhaps now end." And the people who were indulging in it "may hopefully now find other subjects," he said.

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