The Madras high court (HC) on
Thursday rejected the Chennai port's petition for a review of an order
directing it to stop handling dusty cargo such as coal and iron ore from 1
October.
The Union government-controlled
port will now file a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court against
the order, a top official said.
A single bench of the high court
said in an order on 11 May that handling of coal and iron ore should be shifted
to Ennore port, 20km away, to prevent pollution in north Chennai.
Chennai port stands to lose a lot
of cargo and revenue if coal and iron ore are shifted to Ennore port.
“Chennai port will lose as much
as 18 million tonnes (mt) of cargo a year, resulting in a revenue loss of about Rs.240
crore if the court order to stop handling coal and iron ore is implemented,” the second official said. Customers using Chennai port to ship coal and iron
ore have agreed to join the SLP, he added.
In its review petition, Chennai
port had argued that it was not possible to shift some 1,500 employees involved
in handling coal and iron ore to Ennore port, as was directed by the court in
the May verdict.
Besides, Chennai port has set up
infrastructure and berths to handle coal and iron ore. “The port will find it
difficult to substitute coal and iron ore with other cargo immediately. That's
why the port is keen to hold on to these cargoes.
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