Kolkata Port might bring 2,500 acres under new policy.

On the heels of the Union Cabinet giving its nod to convert 1,300 acres from leasehold to freehold at Gandhidham near the Kandla Port in Gujarat, the Centre has asked the Kolkata Port Trust (KPT), too, to devise a strategy for the 2,500 acres in the port's township area, which are under lease.

KPT is in the process of drafting a proposal for renewal of leases, to soon be sent to the shipping ministry. 'We want to have more freedom in dealing with these leases and more revenue,' said R P Kahlon, chairman of KPT. Unlike Kandla, it so far has not planned to convert any of its leases into a freehold structure, whereby the tenant would get ownership of the land. However, the final proposal is still being drafted.

'We want to extend the leases for another 99 years. But we are waiting for some direction from the shipping ministry, based on the new land policy guidelines. It will have some bearing on the township areas, though not directly,' Kahlon added.

BS