In the immediate aftermath of the bridge collapse, container movement from the port fell sharply to around 900 a day compared with an average of around 1,700-2,000
Kolkata: Time is fast running out on the Kolkata port, which has been grappling with disruptions ever since a bridge connecting the southwest of the city collapsed on 4 September. Because of restrictions imposed on movement of goods vehicles, cargo despatches have declined, and unless the police start to ease the flow of traffic, the port is staring at a container pile up, say key officials.
In the immediate aftermath of the bridge collapse, container movement from the port fell sharply to around 900 a day compared with an average of around 1,700-2,000. Restrictions were imposed and goods vehicles were allowed to ply for only seven hours a day compared with 16 before the accident took place. Also, they were initially allowed to ply only at night, between 11pm and 6am.
Restrictions have since been eased and goods vehicles are being allowed to ply for up to 10 hours at night and three hours during daytime, said a key official at the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), who asked not to be named. As a result, despatches are now down by only around 15%, or about 300 containers a day, but “this arrangement cannot be dragged out”, he said.
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