The BJP-led NDA Government was committed to restore the balance of development between the Western and the Eastern part of India, party Rajya Sabha member Chandan Mitra said on Wednesday.
Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a Calcutta Port Shramik Union meeting, Mitra discussed how the pre-Independence economic balance between the two parts of the country has been disturbed over the past 60-65 years, even as the Western part of the country is far more developed than the Eastern part.
“The Prime Minister is pained at this unequal growth pattern and has given an assurance that he will reverse this trend by bringing the Eastern India on par with Western India in terms of development,” said Mitra calling upon the port workers to unite and lend their hands to make the PM’s dream come true.
lambasting the earlier corrupt regimes in Delhi and the vested interests operating the shore handling operations who had connived with them to plunder the Kolkata and Haldia Ports, Mitra said the Government was committed to stop this history of corruption at any cost.
Congratulating Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari for his prompt and meaningful action in fighting corruption in Kolkata and Haldia ports, the MP said, “Gadkari has told me that he would continue his campaign against the corrupt elements,” including officials and private operators who were minting hundreds of crores burning hole in both the Government and people’s pockets.
The Pioneer had run a series of stories exposing a scam of Rs 24,000 crores that had been taking place over the past four decades. “Mr Gadkari congratulated us after seeing these reports and vowed to root out corruption,” Mitra, who is also the editor of the newspaper, said.
The Wednesday’s meeting was organised to “save the port and port workers” on account of the neglect the biggest riverine port of the country had suffered over the years at the hands of the successive Governments at the Centre.
One of the main reasons why the Kolkata and Haldia ports were incurring loss was the continuous siltation of the riverbeds and the depressing apathy shown by the Government to carry out dredging of the River Hooghly. “It was a pity to see how the then Government lost crores in its botched effort to dredge the Ram Setu between India and Sri lanka. The dredgers were taken away from Haldia and kept idle there for months costing the Government exchequer crores. This whereas the dredging work was kept suspended in Hooghly” he said.
Today the situation was that larger ships were un loading their cargoin other ports on account of poor draught in Hooghly which in turn wasthreatening job opportunities in the docks. “Thousands of workers andpensioners are today threatened by the sustained neglect of theKolkata and Haldia ports” said sources.
“It is a big irony that though Kolkata and Haldia ports can cater to avast hinterland comprising Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, North East, andeven Bhutan and Nepal the port had been allowed to dry up. The new Government will not let this happen and the situation will change forthe good with our combined efforts” Dr Mitra said.