Export-import operations resumed at Chennai port yesterday after a four-day break when employees had taken up a decongestion drive, reported The Times of India.
They cleared 10,000 of the 14,000 containers that had piled up, making the port chock-a-block.
Some 11 vessels with cargo had to wait in the outer sea because of this.
A senior port official said the two port terminals remained closed for four days from Thursday."We had to restrict import cargo operations on Thursday and Friday," he said.
When Chennai port can normally handle 6,000- 8,000 containers every day, the number of containers piled up inside crossed 14,000 last week. "Now only 2,700 containers remain on the terminals after clearance," said the official.
Though the backlog has been cleared temporarily, industry sources said vessels waiting outside are carrying over 14,000 containers and the port will get back to its challenges of cargo handling in a few days.
A V Vijayakumar, secretary of Chennai Customs House Agents Association, said the newly-opened additional passage near “zero gate’’ would help ease congestion. "But still it is not going to be a solution as the container traffic faces problems, delaying movement of container trucks.
A stretch of 1.6km from “zero gate’’ to the Kasimedu police station has to be repaired immediately.
“We expect to finish the work immediately to avoid any more congestion and handling crisis," he said.
Sources among traders said operations need not have been suspended for four days if the port authorities had managed the roads and gates properly.
They cleared 10,000 of the 14,000 containers that had piled up, making the port chock-a-block.
Some 11 vessels with cargo had to wait in the outer sea because of this.
A senior port official said the two port terminals remained closed for four days from Thursday."We had to restrict import cargo operations on Thursday and Friday," he said.
When Chennai port can normally handle 6,000- 8,000 containers every day, the number of containers piled up inside crossed 14,000 last week. "Now only 2,700 containers remain on the terminals after clearance," said the official.
Though the backlog has been cleared temporarily, industry sources said vessels waiting outside are carrying over 14,000 containers and the port will get back to its challenges of cargo handling in a few days.
A V Vijayakumar, secretary of Chennai Customs House Agents Association, said the newly-opened additional passage near “zero gate’’ would help ease congestion. "But still it is not going to be a solution as the container traffic faces problems, delaying movement of container trucks.
A stretch of 1.6km from “zero gate’’ to the Kasimedu police station has to be repaired immediately.
“We expect to finish the work immediately to avoid any more congestion and handling crisis," he said.
Sources among traders said operations need not have been suspended for four days if the port authorities had managed the roads and gates properly.