The meeting, which was attended by the Ganjam district collector, Gopalpur Port chief engineer and representatives of workers and employees, decided that serious efforts have to be made to reduce the losses being incurrd by the port by cutting costs and controlling expenditure. It was also decided to revert the surplus engineers and employees to their respective departments to reduce the overhead cost of the port. The meeting also sought the cooperation of the workers and employees in this regard.

Gopalpur port was facing uncertainity after the district collector, who is also chairman of the port management committee, directed the port authority to stop operations this season on August 17. The district collector expressed his inability to run the port as the losses were becoming unsustainable. The port, which operates for about five months a year, has suffered a loss of Rs.5.17 crore during 1999-2000. The port earned Rs 2 crore during the year as against a total expenditure of Rs.7.17 crore.

The State government was under tremendous pressure from the Gopalpur Port Dock Workers Union for the revival of the port. The union president, Daniel Das, and the former Berhampur MP, Jayanti Patnaik, have also threatened to launch an agitation if the port is not made operational this season.