KOCHI:
No one has responded so far to the tender invited by Lakshadweep administration
for dismantling its iconic passenger ship MV Tipu Sultan.
The
ship which has been berthed at the Cochin Port for more than two years is
reportedly leading to an expenditure of about Rs 30 lakh per month to the
administration, in terms of berthing charges, wages of employees, fuel cost and
other items.
The
decision to scrap the passenger ship, which is now about 30 years old, was
taken after the Marine Mercantile Department (MMD) declined sea-worthiness
certificate. The Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) also had recommended
scrapping the vessel, after it was found that its repair could incur huge
amounts. The government evaluator had fixed the minimum value of the ship at Rs
4.6 crore and it is the third time that the auction notice has failed to evoke
any response.
"We
will now re-auction it at the same rate. We cannot reduce its value which has
been fixed by the government evaluator. We may be losing money in terms of
berthing charges and other items. But if we reduce the value below what has
been fixed by the official evaluator we could be accused of corruption,''
collector of Lakshadweep Vasanthakumar told TOI here.
Tenders
for scrapping the vessel which was being manned and managed by the SCI were
floated earlier in 2010 and 2011. The all-weather ship which had a carrying
capacity of 648 passengers had been in operation since 1988, ferrying
passengers between the islands and Kochi. The vessel which was built in 1982
had undergone several repairs and a refit.
Source: Times of India. 21 June 2012
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-21/kochi/32351167_1_passenger-ship-vessel-lakshadweep-administration
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