Lying low with steady downslide in annual business, Odisha’s lone major port in Paradip is face to face with drastic manpower crisis. Paradip Port Trust (PPT) authorities are in a spot of bother even as backlog of vacancies in hierarchies, right from top to bottom, is adversely affecting the port administration.
The crux of the problem can be gauged from the fact that several key departments of the port administration are running headless. The Port Trust is presently being headed by an ad-hoc Chairman following the voluntary retirement of the then Chairman G. Jagannath Rao about four months ago. Vice-Chairman S. Ananth Kumar Bose has been officiating as in-charge Chairman since then.
The all-important posts of Secretary, Traffic Manager, Financial Advisor & Chief Accounts Officer, Materials Manager and Chief Medical Officer, besides other key port wings, are lying vacant. To add to it, offices of deputy heads of departments of Senior Deputy Secretary ranks are left unoccupied.
Aggravating the situation further is the existing vacancies in downstream posts and ministerial staff. Vacancies in ministerial staff posts are equally posing hindrances for hassle-free port administration.
The major port accounts for over 2,500 sanctioned posts of both officers and employees. Nearly 200 posts in key wings including administrative head posts are lying vacant, compounding the problem of port authorities. To meet with the exigencies of the situation, the Port Trust has engaged 600 casual workers to compensate the loss of manpower.
Several ministerial staff posts have got abolished as they remain unmanned for over a year. As per the Union Ministry of Shipping guidelines and rules framed for the country’s 13 major ports, a ministerial staff post ceases to exist if it is not filled up within a year.
Signs are ominous in the coming days as over 500 employees including those senior administrative posts are slated to retire in the next two years. Unless the Port Trust finds ways and means to fill up these posts in advance, it would have a paralytic effect on port administration.
Chairman Ananth Kumar Bose said: “we have apprised the Union Shipping Ministry of the problem arising out of the existing vacancies. We are hopeful that things would improve with the filling up of vacant posts”.
“The Ministry of Shipping is meting out step-motherly treatment to PPT. It is making no concerted effort to fill up the vacancies in key administrative wings of the port. The existing vacancies have taken a toll on infrastructure expansion projects and cargo handling operation of the major port”, charged Mr. Pravat Kumar Samantaray, former Lok Sabha member and trust member of PPT.
PPT is witnessing steady slump in cargo handling operation over the years. During the last financial year, the port had registered 54.2 million ton cargo handling while it was 56 million ton cargo in the preceding fiscal year. This year a target of 63 million ton has been set for the port by the Union Ministry.
While global economic meltdown is being attributed to drop in business of the port, factors such as restrictions on iron ore mining operation, besides competition from private player like Dhamra Port, have contributed to PPT’s drop in revenue generation. The shortfall in manpower and human resources has worsened the situation for the beleaguered port.
The crux of the problem can be gauged from the fact that several key departments of the port administration are running headless. The Port Trust is presently being headed by an ad-hoc Chairman following the voluntary retirement of the then Chairman G. Jagannath Rao about four months ago. Vice-Chairman S. Ananth Kumar Bose has been officiating as in-charge Chairman since then.
The all-important posts of Secretary, Traffic Manager, Financial Advisor & Chief Accounts Officer, Materials Manager and Chief Medical Officer, besides other key port wings, are lying vacant. To add to it, offices of deputy heads of departments of Senior Deputy Secretary ranks are left unoccupied.
Aggravating the situation further is the existing vacancies in downstream posts and ministerial staff. Vacancies in ministerial staff posts are equally posing hindrances for hassle-free port administration.
The major port accounts for over 2,500 sanctioned posts of both officers and employees. Nearly 200 posts in key wings including administrative head posts are lying vacant, compounding the problem of port authorities. To meet with the exigencies of the situation, the Port Trust has engaged 600 casual workers to compensate the loss of manpower.
Several ministerial staff posts have got abolished as they remain unmanned for over a year. As per the Union Ministry of Shipping guidelines and rules framed for the country’s 13 major ports, a ministerial staff post ceases to exist if it is not filled up within a year.
Signs are ominous in the coming days as over 500 employees including those senior administrative posts are slated to retire in the next two years. Unless the Port Trust finds ways and means to fill up these posts in advance, it would have a paralytic effect on port administration.
Chairman Ananth Kumar Bose said: “we have apprised the Union Shipping Ministry of the problem arising out of the existing vacancies. We are hopeful that things would improve with the filling up of vacant posts”.
“The Ministry of Shipping is meting out step-motherly treatment to PPT. It is making no concerted effort to fill up the vacancies in key administrative wings of the port. The existing vacancies have taken a toll on infrastructure expansion projects and cargo handling operation of the major port”, charged Mr. Pravat Kumar Samantaray, former Lok Sabha member and trust member of PPT.
PPT is witnessing steady slump in cargo handling operation over the years. During the last financial year, the port had registered 54.2 million ton cargo handling while it was 56 million ton cargo in the preceding fiscal year. This year a target of 63 million ton has been set for the port by the Union Ministry.
While global economic meltdown is being attributed to drop in business of the port, factors such as restrictions on iron ore mining operation, besides competition from private player like Dhamra Port, have contributed to PPT’s drop in revenue generation. The shortfall in manpower and human resources has worsened the situation for the beleaguered port.
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