The Congress on Monday said the FIR against The Hindu’s journalist Mahesh Langa over alleged possession of confidential files of the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) is a “brazen assault on democratic freedoms”.
In a detailed post on X, party general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said the action has been taken to “divert attention from the scandalous manner in which the GMB has been forced to bestow special favours to Modani.
“The real crime is occurring at the uppermost echelons of the Gujarat Government. This is why a comprehensive Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation into the Modani affair is required,” Mr. Ramesh said in his post.
He said that in early 2024, Adani Ports asked the GMB to extend the period of concession for private ports on a Build-Operate-Own-Transfer (BOOT) basis from the present 30 years to 75 years. “This would go well beyond the maximum permissible period of 50 years. On March 12, 2024, the GMB met and recommended that (i) more bids be invited for port assets and operations; (ii) financial terms with existing operator [that is, Adani Ports] be re-negotiated; and (iii) differentiated rate structures for ports be developed and applied,” Mr. Ramesh said.
“A few days later, the GMB’s recommendations were REJECTED by the Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board and by the Chief Minister himself. Decks were cleared for Adani Ports to get control over Mundhra, Hazira, and Dahej ports for 75 years,” Mr. Ramesh added.
“GMB’s initial estimate of payment to be made to the State by Adani Ports was around ₹1700 crores per year while the company claimed it was just ₹394 crores per year. Officers were then transferred, and numbers were reworked in a manner convenient to the company,” he said.
Published – October 29, 2024 03:13 am IST
