'BJP IS COMMITTED TO IMPLEMENTING CAA'

Shantanu Thakur says the Matuas are with BJP; Centre cannot frame . CAA rules as the case is being heard by the Supreme Court.

- DIBYENDU MONDAL

Earlier last week, The Sunday Guardian caught up with Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shantanu Thakur, to discuss an array of issues regarding the Ministry, including passenger cruise services and privatisation of ports. Thakur, who is also an MP from the Bongaon Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal and the Head of the All India Matua Mahasangha, spoke on the long pending issue of the Matua community on Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and whether the community is still loyal to the BJP. Excerpts:

Q: There have been concerns raised about the privatisation of several services and businesses of the government. We have also seen several decisions in your ministry in the recent past that led to privatisation of ports, berths in ports, and even services. The common man is asking, then what's left with the public? What would you like to say about this?

A: Firstly, one needs to understand that most of the projects as far as our ministry is concerned are being implemented through the PPP (Public Private Partnership) model and this does not mean that the government is selling off everything; rather it means that the government in partnership with the private entities are working for faster services and development of better infrastructure. We have seen that by implementing the PPP model, works have been done faster. The government is focusing on governance and not on doing business and, therefore, quality of services and infrastructure will be improved.

In this Ministry, the port authorities are given the responsibility to oversee the functioning of the ports and the PPP model can be implemented for various works, in various departments in the ports, society development, development of coastal areas, among other things. There is a blue print for all this and it depends on the requirement and implemented accordingly.