Major Ports should be equipped with detection equipment

The detection of traces of radioactivity in a consignment of steel exported to Germany recently has brought to the fore the dire need to equip Major Ports with sophisticated containerised cargo scanning and other detection equipment.
According to Exim News Service, Major Ports do not have equipment to detect radioactivity or contaminated consignments, which exposes the cargo to quality, security and safety risks, besides damaging the reputation of the goods manufactured here.
One has to be very careful in importing even scrap metal, an official familiar with the procedures related to exports said.
According to government officials and exporters, some radioactive steel scrap was imported about three to four years back. This scrap was used to manufacture packaging material for heavy-duty engineering goods consignments. Subsequently, consignments packed with the same radioactive steel were exported to the US in 2007.
But the fact that such contaminated material was not detected right at the time of import or even at the time of exporting as a packaging material, shows that the Ports are not equipped to detect radioactive substances.
This may prompt anti-national elements to easily import dirty bombs—unsophisticated explosive devices that combine radioactive material and conventional explosives.
A Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) official explained: The Department mostly paid attention to the valuation of export and import consignments and import of banned substances. "There is a scanner for container surveillance at Nhava Sheva. The process to increase the number of scanners at ports is under way," she said.
Mr Rakesh Shah, former Chairman of the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC), said several exporters in East India had bought scanners to detect radioactivity in the materials they use.
 

Source: Transportweekly