JNP witnessing dynamic progress now

The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal (JNPCT) has currently on order 4 quay cranes, and proposal to acquire 3 more which has been sent to the Union government for approval, disclosed Mr S. S. Hussain, Chairman of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT).
According to Exim News Service, the 4 cranes should be in place within a year, following which some of the old ones would be moved to the shallow berths, he stressed during an interaction with members of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCC&I) at the Chamber premises here.
This was one of the many issues addressed by the Chairman during the meeting, which saw enthusiastic participation from BCC&I members representing different segments of the trade.
There had been some delay in the procurement of the cranes because of problems with the company from which they had been earlier ordered, he said.
Both the 330 m extension to the existing berth (which would be a standalone terminal) and the mega 4-million TEU capacity 4th terminal (also incorporating a marine chemical terminal) had been cleared by the Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC), he said, and the further procedure for their development would now gain momentum. While the process of getting clearance was on, the request for qualification (RFQ) procedure was also going on simultaneously, Mr Hussain underscored.
Litigation by some interested parties had caused some delay in the 330-m project, he said.
On the key issue of dredging of the channel, the Chairman admitted a delay of nearly 2 years due to objections raised by the relevant government authorities because of the tender estimate being more than the estimated cost. But now, following a geo-technical study, a consultant was to be confirmed soon to prepare a new estimate, following which the project would be re-bid. The project, which JNP was now doing mostly on its own, was back on track, he emphasised.
The Chairman was keen to stress that being a government Port, there were certain procedures to be followed with regard to project clearances, equipment procurement at the Port terminal, etc., which sometimes did cause delays.
The Port was offering the best package to pilots to offset the problems of their shortage, he revealed, and suggested that a panel of trained pilots, on contract, could be formed for deployment at Major Ports.
There had been no congestion in the Port for the last three years, Mr Hussain pointed out, except for a brief period when import movement to northern ICDs was affected due to an agitation in Rajasthan. The yard had capacity of 75,000 boxes, which had proved more than enough, he said.
There were also a number of private yards. Besides, CIDCO had been requested to develop 2 yards, the Chairman stressed.
Mr Hussain also touched upon a number of positive changes that had taken place in the Port in the last 2 years, including the much-improved road connectivity (4-lane, and augmentation to 6-lane proposed), smoother rail movement and increase in the number of trains from 10-12 to 18-20 a day, the Port crossing the 50-million tonne throughput mark (57 million tonnes with 3 per cent growth last year despite the economic meltdown) and increased green spaces.
The Port was ready to partner the relevant authority in arterial road development as well as development of the Trans Harbour Link, he said. It could also assist in developing yards and other facilities in the vicinity, for the dedicated western freight corridor, he added. JNPT was on the Board of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation Ltd (DFCCL), the company set up for the purpose of developing the project, the Chairman disclosed.
He hoped that the corridor would be ready by the time the 4th terminal came up.
Among the other projects JNPT was planning was an integrated parking plaza, having procedural and recreational facilities for drivers, which would result in trucks no longer waiting on the roads.
The Chairman emphasised that he was always keen on interacting with the trade, which was why he took personal interest in ensuring that the meetings of the advisory committee and stakeholders committee took place frequently.
Earlier, in his introductory remarks, Mr C. R. Nambiar, Chairman of BCC&I’s Shipping, Transport and Logistics Committee, called on the Port to be ready to handle volumes as large as 8 million TEUs a year by 2011-12.
The vote of thanks was proposed by Mr S. S. Rangnekar, Co-Chairman of the Shipping, Transport and Logistics Committee, who was of the opinion that aspects such as dredging and connectivity should be provided by the government.
Mr S. K. Kaul, Chief Manager, Administration and Secretary, JNPT, Mr D. S. Garde, Senior Manager (Container Terminal) and Capt. Rustom Dastoor, CEO of NSICT, were among those who graced the occasion.

(Source: Transport Weekly)