Congress claims Gujarat govt helping Adani Ports 'secure monopoly', says JPC essential
Congress on Wednesday reiterated its demand for a joint parliamentary committee into the Adani issue and alleged that the Gujarat government was helping Adani Ports to «secure a monopoly» on the state's port sector. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the Gujarat government grants private ports a 30-year concession period on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis, after which ownership gets transferred to the government of Gujarat.
On the basis of this model, Adani Ports currently has control over Mundra, Hazira, and Dahej ports, he said.
Before the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, Adani Ports requested the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) to extend this concession period by another 45 years to 75 years in total, Ramesh claimed.
«This was much beyond the maximum permissible period of 50 years, but the GMB hastened to request the Gujarat Government to do so anyways. The GMB was in such a hurry that it did so without approval from its Board, resulting in the file's return,» he alleged.
The GMB Board recommended that the Gujarat government protect its revenue interests after the passage of the 30-year concession by inviting bids from other potential operators and companies, or renegotiating financial terms with Adani, he said.
«It appears that the tempo-wallah, furious at this possibility of competition, forced a change in the GMB Board's decision — which was revised to recommend the extension of the concession period for Adani, without inviting new bids or renegotiating the terms,»
