CHENNAI: The Chennai Port Trust (CPT) has moved the Madras High Court to revise the High Court’s earlier order dated May 11 this year, which banned handling of iron ore and coal and directed it to shift the same to Ennore Port.The second bench comprising Justices D Dharma Rao and M Venugopal, before which the review application came up for hearing on Tuesday, ordered notice to the authorities concerned returnable in two weeks.CPT senior counsel P Wilson submitted that the labour union had opposed the transfer of the workmen of CPT to Ennore Port Limited. The direction had been issued without taking into consideration the relevant provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act as well as without taking into account the fact that the CPT was established under the Major Port Trusts Act as a statutory bo dy. On the contrary, the Ennore Port was a body incorporated under the Companies Act. Transferring the employees of CPT to Ennore Port, either in full or part, would adversely affect the service conditions and interests of the employees, as they would be deprived of their pension and other benefits such as seniority, pay, promotion. Since the coal and iron ore at Ennore Port were handled at the berths under build-operate-transfer (BOT) operators, they employed their own staff.The officials of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) had themselves concurred that the iron ore cargo was comparatively less polluting.If the coal was to be shifted, Ennore Port would not be able to handle the same, as the berth facility was not operating in its full capacity. It also lacked necessary infrastructural facility, Wilson contended and sought to revise the order dated May 11 last.
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