Dashed hopes, political intrigue, and a fight for a better future is what Tajpur witnesses
BY APRATIM SARKAR | Tajpur, West Bengal, January 2,2024
Sitting on a broken chair in front of the closed tea shop, Subhasini Giri, a 75-year-old woman stares with teary eyes at the deserted stretch of Tajpur beach, where the first ever deep-sea port in West Bengal, which was promised to be built by the West Bengal Government by 2025, has seen no start of work.
She said that her only son left Tajpur five years ago to work as a daily-wage labour in a different state to meet their livelihood, leaving behind a disabled daughter to take care of. “This port was our lifeline,” she said. “But now, even hope drowns in uncertainty due to political tussle.”
The Tajpur deep sea port, a dream project of the West Bengal Government remains untouched due to the bureaucratic flip-flop witnessed between the state government and the Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) taking away employment opportunities from the villagers.
Karan Adani, CEO, Adani Ports, visited Kolkata on October 12, 2022, to receive the letter of intent for the development of Tajpur Port from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Adani Ports agreed to invest Rs 25,000 crore for the construction of the greenfield deep-sea port in Bengal, which remains uncertain to date.
On, November 21, 2023, in the Bengal Global Business Summit, CM Mamata Banerjee’s announcement of issuing a fresh tender for the development of Tajpur Port raised eyebrows in Tajpur, and two days later the Minister of Industries and Commerce of West Bengal, Sashi Panja, gave a different statement in Delhi stating the project will be developed by Adani Ports.
The contradictory statements given by the state government left the people of Tajpur perplexed. “We heard from the news channel that Adani is not building this port, and now again they say Adani is building it, I think the Government is least concerned about the development,” said Ananda Jana, a local fisherman.
Bablu Sahu, the caretaker of a resort in Tajpur said that his younger brother and most of the youths in their neighbourhood left the village to work as contractual workers in the nearby state of Odisha, stating the apathy of unemployment that the small village is reeling under.
“The youths of this village are moving to different locations for work leaving behind their old parents,” Sahu said, “This port could have been a saviour to these helpless parents but till now, there is no sign of the development.”
The Vizhinjam International Sea Port, India’s first deep-sea port, constructed by Adani Ports and the Government of Kerala as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) amid several protests from local fishermen, is promoted by the Kerala Government as one of the greatest achievements in the Indian maritime history due to its proximity to the international sea route and creating infrastructural and employment opportunities for the state of Kerala. On the other hand, Tajpur, a tiny village located in the East Midnapore district of Bengal with poor hinterland connectivity, failed to draw any interest from APSEZ. Hinterland refers to the logistical connectivity in terms of road, rail, and air, and the presence of industry near the close vicinity of the port.
Biswajit Pakrashi, a retired harbour master of the Kolkata Port Trust (KPT) explained that building a port is not simple work and that all aspects should be taken into consideration. He also said the proposed port can only be successful if there is berthing of large cargo vessels and an inflow of large quantities of cargo in the port. But due to the lack of industries, poor roads, and no nearby rail connectivity in Tajpur, the estimated cargo could be less than 5 million metric tonnes which is only 1/16th of the annual trade in its neighbouring Haldia Port.
Tajpur Port, which was supposed to be built 28 km away from the shore to achieve the draft of 14 metres as suggested in its feasibility report by credit rating agency CRISIL, needs Rs. 250 crore to be spent annually on dredging according to Pakrashi. He also said that if the profitability from the port is low due to the low volume of cargo import then maintaining a port and spending crore on dredging and siltation will be of no use for the company developing the port. “To develop a port, the state government should improve the hinterland of the location as it will change the trade dynamic of Bengal,” said Pakrashi.
The West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. (WBIDC) which works under the West Bengal Industry, Commerce and Enterprises Department, floated a tender for the bid of Tajpur Port on February 21, 2022. After nine months, Adani Ports won the bid, drawing the attention of the people from various sections.
The initial project was supposed to happen between the West Bengal Government, Kolkata Port Trust and the Ministry of Shipping, Waterways and Ports. The state government decided to build this port alone under a PPP deal before the 2021 legislative assembly election rejecting the central government’s proposal.
“The Kolkata Port Trust and the Ministry of Shipping were supposed to have 76% stake and the Government of West Bengal 24% share in this project,” said Dr A.K. Nath, an environmental officer in Kolkata Port Trust. “The land allotted for the port belonged to the state government so they decided to impose their decision of going alone.”
Minister Sashi Panja refused to comment on the development citing the confidentiality of this project and saying that they have nothing to say on it to The Bottomline. The official emails sent to the WBIDC Chairman Vandana Yadav and APSEZ remained unanswered.
Opposition Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Balurghat, Ashok Lahiri, who visited Tajpur three months ago for a survey, told The Bottomline that the Tajpur project is in darkness and no information is being provided to the citizens of this state. He also said that the survey carried out by his party in Tajpur fetched no relevant information from the ground regarding the development of this project.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the opposition leader in Lok Sabha, said that the state has not acquired land for this port yet. He blamed both the state government and Adani Ports for creating confusion among the people of this state.
A senior official of Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) said that APSEZ leased a 250-metre-long berth five months ago, one of the largest in the Haldia Dock, hinting at India’s ports being controlled by the single largest player in the coming days. He also said that the dilemma regarding the deal between the State Government and APSEZ could be due to the ratio of profit-sharing ratio and the non-involvement of the Central Government in this project.
“Adani never carried out any kind of study before signing the letter of intent for Tajpur Port,” said the senior official. “Adani was on a spree to make ports in this country after the success of his Mundra port, I am worried to see all the major ports going to him with the help of the central government.”
Subhasini who makes her livelihood by earning Rs 150 per day from her small tea shop takes all the necessary effort to do the treatment of her disabled granddaughter, Suparna. “I am the father and mother of this girl. I take care of all her needs from her childhood,” she said.
Suparna Giri, a 13-year-old girl who had to drop out from school because of the disability in her left arm since childhood, had been denied equivalent treatment in society. Her school refused to take her back saying they don’t allow disabled students to be taught with other students. Subhasini narrates that her only son Mahesh Giri works in another state for a living with his wife Nandita Giri. “My son left our village because there is no work over here, I don’t want my granddaughter to go to a different place for work because of that not only me but the whole district expected this port.”