The Hindu Business Line : Regular Concor service to Kochi, Tuticorin urged

The Bangalore Steamer Agents Association (BSAA) has urged the Container Corporation to run a regular train service to Kochi and Tuticorin, two important ports that are used by freight forwarders for transhipment of cargo to port bound for international destinations.

Unlike Chennai, which had a daily service from the Inland Container Depot (ICD) at Whitefield here, Kochi had only one service and that too had no fixed schedule. This forced the shipper to transport the goods by road to the port cities incurring delay and higher costs, said Mr Naveen V. Ramani, President of BSAA.

He said poor yard and traffic management at the ICD also affected smooth transhipment of cargo to the ports. Inadequate yard management in stacking of containers often led to delay in locating the equipment and stuffing the cargo for timely transhipment by train to ports.

Mr Ramani said the loss in lead-time due to inadequate yard management and frequent failure of handling equipment should be rectified by Concor to provide an efficient service to freight forwarders to move cargo on time. The NSAA, which consists of members representing leading shippers, had made several representations to Concor but to no avail, Mr Ramani said.

He said these deficiencies affected shippers at a time when Bangalore was emerging as a major export hub. Exports from Whitefield have increased from 23,204 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) in the calendar year 2004 to 25,981 TEU in 2005. Imports have also registered an increase from 19,577 TEU to 24,098 during the same period.

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