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Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006
The Hindu
KOCHI: The Water
Transport Workers Federation of India has appealed to the
Union Government to stop Dubai Ports World from taking
over the container terminals being operated at Chennai and
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) by Peninsular and
Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O).
The Federation has suggested that steps be taken under the
Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act (MRTP Act)
to prevent DP World's take over of P&O terminals in the
country.
This is to prevent the emergence of a monopoly-like
situation in container handling in the country's ports,
said M. M. Lawrence, president of the Federation, at a
meeting between major trade union representatives in the
ports sector and Secretary (Shipping) A. K. Mohapatra in
New Delhi recently.
"The move by DP World to acquire P&O's container terminals
in India forebodes the emergence of monopoly in container
port service," said a spokesman for the Federation, one of
the five major trade unions in the ports sector.
This development did not auger well for the country's port
sector, especially with the Union Government's declared
policy to facilitate competition in container port
services through concession agreements involving private
sector partners, he added.
Even before the controversy over the takeover of six
American ports by DP World had burst on the scene, the
Federation had taken up the issue of possible emergence of
a monopoly-like situation in the Indian containerised
cargo-handling situation, he added.
The Federation felt that a review of all concession
agreements with private sector players in all the Indian
ports would be appropriate so as to bring them in
conformity with Indian laws that curb monopoly.
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