They have said that the Union Shipping Ministry's action is not in the interest of the only Central government controlled port in the state.

"Kandla was a loss making port without any future, before he (Janardhana Rao) came here as the deputy chairman of the KPT following his transfer from Cochin. In his short stint, he transformed the entire scenario. We have not seen a more dedicated chairman at Kandla, who with his numerous innovative schemes, has changed its face for the better."

"In the absence of such a dynamic port officer, the port would go to the dogs. This is not a thoughtful step on the part of the Shipping Ministry," said Bhagwan Mansukhani, president of the Kandla Port and Dock Stevedores' Association. Normally, the post of port chairman is occupied by an IAS officer of the rank of joint secretary from the state cadre of the maritime state, but Rao was an exception.

Hiralal Parekh, president of the Gandhidham Chamber of Commerce and Industries and former KPT trustee, too echoed similar sentiments. He said, but for the meticulous de novo planning for this port, it would have been wiped out by competition from the state-of-the art private ports in the vicinity.

"We too had grievances against the port and for which we had even agitated,but our agitation which was still on was not against the port trust, as such.It was against the Union Shipping Ministry, which had been tightly sitting over many proposals sent by the Port Trust for its ratification as required under the Major Port Trust Act," said Parekh, who heads the people's committee to spearhead agitation against the ministry.

Manohar Bellani, general secretary of the port's biggest labour union and senior labour trustee on the board of KPT said that Rao was a dynamic chairman who always had the port’s welfare in mind. "He was also very positive towards the labour cause and did his best to help them resolve their issues. His transfer is a loss not only for the port in general but also for the port's labour," Bellani said.

Mohan Aswani, president of the INTUC affiliated Kandla Karmachari Sangh, said that the port will suffer an irreparable loss due to his departure. "He has been made a scapegoat," Aswani said.