GMB has been forced to bestow special favours to Modani: Jairam Ramesh
A case has been registered against Mahesh Langa in connection with the leak of documents about a private port in Gujarat by journalist Mahesh Langa from a private cell at the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) head office in Gandhinagar. In this case, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh launched a counterattack and presented the history of how and where the private port committed the irregularities.
Jairam Ramesh, a senior leader of India’s political party Congress, responded on Twitter handle X by accusing the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) of alleged irregularities.
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.
Just read what Mr. Ramesh Jairam posted on X, “A senior journalist of The Hindu in Ahmedabad has been accused of possessing official files of the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB). This is done to divert attention from the insidious manner in which the GMB has been forced to give special benefits to Modani at the cost of the exchequer. You understand the chronology:
Case registered for Gujarat journalist Mahesh Langa has leaked documentary evidence from the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) Gandhinagar head office for allegations made earlier by a Congress national leader that Adani Port Mundra is trying to monopolize Gujarat’s port sector and is harming competition, raising prices for the common man. Action was taken last Tuesday 22nd October on the charge of having done.
Earlier, Gandhinagar Police investigated a private cell at the GMB head office. The computers were checked, the concerned officers and employees were questioned, and 2 contract employees were taken to the police station for further investigation. The case had been under internal investigation for a long time, and the role of journalist Mahesh Langa had come to the system’s attention.
Some time ago, the national spokesperson of the Congress said that it is questionable how the government extended the build-on-operate-transfer (BOOT) agreement with the Adani group. The government grants a 30-year concession period to private ports on BOOT basis, after which ownership is transferred to the government. Based on this model, Adani Ports controls Mundra, Hazira and Dahej ports.
Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Adani Ports requested the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) to extend the relaxation period by another 45 years to a total of 75 years. This was well beyond the maximum allowable period of 50 years, but the GMB was quick to urge the government to do so anyway. The GMB was in such a hurry that it did so without its board’s approval, resulting in allegations made by Congress at the time that the file had been returned.
The BJP was put on the back foot by the Congress’s factual and documentary allegations, and an internal inquiry was ordered into how all this was leaked. Meanwhile, an internal investigation revealed that journalist Mahesh Langa, who was recently arrested by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch in the GST scam, had leaked this document from the private cell of the GMB Gandhinagar head office and delivered it to the Congress.
