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Port in a fix over DCF letter
New Mangalore Port (NMP), the only major port in Karnataka, is saddled with an unwelcome burden of over two lakh metric tonnes of iron ore. Thanks to a letter from the Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) in Karwar, which has
stated that the Port should not export iron ore for 30 days (till
August 24) to prevent export of illegal ore lying in Belekeri and Karwar
ports, till the inquiry is completed.
“Though the Port does not come under State government, we don’t want to
take any chances,” says NMPT traffic Manager S Gopalakrishna.
He told Deccan Herald that he was trying to contact the Karwar DCF, but
the latter was not reachable. Letters have been sent to Forest
department in Karwar as well as Bangalore.
The 2,08,000 MT iron ore lying in the Port belongs to 40 different
exporters. “To export iron ore, a minimum of 30,000 MT should be
available with one exporter. At present, none of the exporters has more
than 10,000 MT of iron ore in the Port,” Gopalakrishna added.
The ban or iron ore through road by the deputy commissioners of Dakshina
Kannada, Udupi and Hassan districts and the subsequent ban on
transporting ore by train, has completely stopped the export of ore from
Mangalore Port, jeopardising the lives of thousands of truckers,
loaders, contractors and exporters and their dependents.
A huge loss
“Everyday more than 2,000 trucks used to bring iron ore to Mangalore
port from Chitradurga and Bellary. With the ban on trucks carrying ore,
not only the Port is incurring a huge loss, but the ban has also
snatched away the livelihood of thousands of truckers and port workers,”
said M Shekar Poojari, President, Association of New Mangalore Port
Stevedores.
When contacted, New Mangalore Port Chairman P Tamil Vanan said that the
Port exported 31 lakh MT of iron ore between April and July in 2009-10,
whereas the export of iron ore in the corresponding period in 2010-11 is
8 lakh, nearly 75% less than last year.
Surplus of Rs 300 crore
During the fiscal year 2009-10, NMP handled 35.52 million tonnes cargo
and for the third consecutive year, the total revenue of NMPT crossed Rs
300 crore. The Port could be earn a net surplus of above Rs 100 crore
for the fifth consecutive year.
However, if the ban continues to be in force throughout this year, the Port is likely to incur a huge loss of several crores.
One of the exporters said that they don’t want a confrontation with the Chief Minister.
“We are sure we will win the case, if we approach the court. But finally, we will have to work with the government,” he said.
Source: Deccan Herald
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