As the Ennore port is being run as a company by the government, management of the port will not follow federal shipping ministry guidelines to set rates for cargo services. Last week, the port management informed prospective bidders for a container-loading facility that it will not follow federal shipping ministry guidelines to set rates for cargo services.
Ennore port was established as a firm under the companies law when it was opened in 2001.
In the initial few years of operations, Ennore being a firm and outside the scope of the trusts set-up, was free to fix its own rates.
This was precisely the reason why the then National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chose to set it up as a firm.