Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP/SD)

Mangaluru, Jul 4: New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) authorities have issued clarification on two dredgers owned by M's Mercator Ltd, one of which has sunk, and the other one has been beached, within the jurisdiction of the port here.

The authorities have said that the dredger Bhagavati Prem that was anchored here since April 2019 without rudders in a deteriorated condition. It was beached on October 28, 2019, within the port limits. The residue oil and garbage were removed and disposed off. A team of marine experts and deputy conservators of two major ports carried out the assessment of the dredger and they certified that oil has been removed. The beaching was done as a preventive measure in the public interest and to safeguard the life and crew in the dredger, ecology, environment, etc the trust said.

Dredger Bhagavati Prem

As the dredger owner failed to clear port dues and take away the beached dredger, process of e-auctioning was completed on June 30, 2020, as per the power vested with the port under the Indian Ports Act 1908 and Major Ports Act 1963.This action also was approved by the ministry of shipping of the union government. Waste samples are being taken out from the sunken dredger Trivedi Prem and also the beached dredger Bhavati Prem, and sent for testing. The test result indicates no sign of oil leakage.

The authority said that Purushotham Chitrapur, who has made unsubstantiated allegations against the port incidentally is a civil contractor who works for NMPT. The authorities have been probing a complaint received against Purushotham for underpayment of wages to conservancy staff, the trust stated.