Cuttack, June 21: Orissa has stuck to its guns on the contentious issue of the Calcutta port’s extension stymieing growth of upcoming ports such as, Dhamra, in the state.

The state government today filed an affidavit in the high court, saying that the extension of the Calcutta port limits way beyond its own vicinity “infringing into” the notified limits of other ports in another state had created “a very peculiar and unusual situation”.

“A ship entering the Dhamra port, 200km south of Calcutta, shall be required to pay port dues and pilot fees to the Calcutta port whose services it does not require at all,” the affidavit contended.

Additional secretary of the commerce and transport department Sitanath Rath filed the affidavit in pursuance of high court order on a PIL challenging revised limit of the Calcutta port that extends well into the Orissa territory.

The order was issued by the high court on May 5, while issuing notices to the central government and the Calcutta Port Trust (CPT) to file their responses and fixing today for hearing the PIL filed by the Keonjhar Navanirman Parishad (KNM).

However, the central government counsel today sought more time to file a reply. The division bench of Chief Justice V. Gopala Gowda and Justice B.N. Mohapatra allowed time till July 19 and extended till then its interim order. The court also allowed the amendment petition filed by the Parishad.

“The secretary department of shipping and the Calcutta Port Trust are directed not to precipitate in the matter,” the court had said in the interim order.

Nearly six new minor ports are coming up in the state and their growth is likely to be affected by the extension of Calcutta port’s area.

While chief secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik had written a letter to the Union shipping minister objecting to the move, the state’s cause was also taken up by Union fertiliser minister Srikant Jena, the only Oriya in the Manmohan Singh cabinet.

He also shot off a letter to the shipping minister urging him to scrap the move in view of the danger it posed to Orissa.

The state government alleged that the CPT had gone ahead with pre-bid meet in connection with construction of a jetty for cargo through transloading in the extended port limits “violating all norms”.

Referring to the ministry of shipping’s contention that the extension of Calcutta port limits is merely for the purpose of undertaking transloading operation as its inadequate draft or depth does not permit larger vessels, the state government said: “It is not a new problem.”