FIEO demands common user plot
for iron at Paradip Port
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Mr. S.K. Jain, Chairman, FIEO(ER) at extreme left addressing the meeting. On his right are, Mr. Raghuramaiah, Chairman, Paradip Port Trust; Mr. S.K. Patwari, FIEO Managing Committee Member; and Mr. Tapan Chattopadhyay, Dy. Director General, FIEO(ER). |
FIEO Managing Committee Member Mr. S. K. Patwari has voiced anguish over high transaction cost borne by exporters at Paradip Port. In an interactive meeting organized by the Eastern Region Office of FIEO with the Chairman of Paradip Port Trust Mr. K Raghuramaiah, Mr. Patwari said that the cost of loading iron ore to vessel in the mechanical berth was substantially different from loading in manual berth because of disproportionately high labour charges. Speaking further, Mr. Patwari, who is also FIEO’s National Convenor of Committee on Infrastructure, pushed for setting up a free trade warehouse in Paradip Port to cut down the transaction cost for exporters.
The Eastern Region Chairman of FIEO, Mr. S. K. Jain endorsed the views of Mr. Patwari and felt that there should be a common user plot at Paradip Port for export of iron ores in line with other major ports. He also demanded setting up of a separate berth for agri-products at Paradip Port to prevent contamination. Mr. Jain, however, appreciated the ongoing modernization of the Port to ensure faster movement of break-bulk cargo, especially iron ore. He also thanked the Paradip Port authorities for completion of railway lines linking the Port with all major mine heads.
Making a Power Point Presentation on the features of Paradip Port Trust during the meeting, Mr. Raghuramaiah informed the participants about the Trust’s future plans to add more berths for handling increased quantity of export of iron ore and import of coal and coke through the Port in view of many new steel plants and other allied industries coming up in the hinterland. "Eight berths will be added within five years to the existing 14 berths which handle 38 MT of cargo and a feasibility study in this regard was being conducted by RITES," he said. Speaking about the Port’s railway network, he confirmed that very shortly dredging operation would start to make the Port more navigable.
Almost 30 participants who joined this interactive meeting on 2nd February this year at Kolkata, apprised Mr. Raghuramaiah with the issues faced by them such as forfeiture of the performance guarantee, reduction in the Minimum Guarantee Thoroughput (MGT) per quarter from 30,000 MT to 15,000 MT, exorbitant road transport rate for carrying goods to the Port etc. The exporters present in the meeting also drew the attention of the Port Official towards higher Manual Rake Unloading charges levied by Paradip Port in comparison to Haldia and Vizag Ports and also towards the problems faced by exporters in importing cement clinker at Paradip Port. They complained that after discharge of the cargo, they were not getting adequate space for loading the cargo into Rakes and asked the Official to arrange a suitable plot along the Railway line for the purpose. Mr. Raghuramaiah requested FIEO officials present in the meeting to submit with him a compiled list of problems faced by the exporters so that the Paradip Port Trust could take them up with the Trustees.
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'Set up in 1962, the main items exported through Paradip Port consist of iron ore, chrome concentrate, chrome ore, ferro-chrome, pig iron, manganese ore, HR coil etc.' |
