NT Reporter
Panaji
The Captain of Ports (CoP) Department has withdrawn the e-tender for the operation and maintenance of the Captain of Ports Terminal Building and allied jetty facilities, along with the construction of a yacht docking station under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Confirming the withdrawal on Friday evening, Captain of Ports Octavio Rodrigues said the department would deliberate on the inputs and suggestions received before deciding on the next course of action.
“Yes, it has been withdrawn. We will deliberate on the inputs received before deciding the next course of action,”
Rodrigues said.
The tender had triggered concerns among activists over the proposed involvement of a private entity in managing the terminal building and jetty facilities, with apprehensions that the move could amount to the privatisation of public infrastructure.
Earlier, the department had clarified that the tender did not involve transferring ownership of the government-owned terminal building or jetties to a private operator. Instead, the proposed arrangement was intended to bring in professional expertise for operating, maintaining and managing specified facilities during the concession period.
According to the department, ownership of the assets would remain with the government, while the Captain of Ports would retain its statutory, regulatory, supervisory and administrative powers. Statutory wharfage, berthing and other charges would continue to be payable to the authority.
The proposed operator would have been responsible for routine and preventive maintenance, housekeeping, passenger amenities, sanitation, security, surveillance, access control and digital monitoring.
Major structural repairs to the jetty facilities would remain the responsibility of the authority.
The PPP arrangement was also expected to generate revenue through an annual licence fee and a share of the gross revenue generated by the project. Commercial facilities, including a rooftop restaurant, cafeteria, amphitheatre and ticketing counters, were envisaged under the proposal.
Casino operators were barred from participating in the tender.
