The Hindu Business Line : Kochi port cuts container trailer hiring charges

As part of rationalising the transportation charges and to eliminate hidden costs, the Cochin Port Trust has announced substantial reduction in container trailer hiring charges to and from the port with immediate effect.

The new tariff rates are fixed on the basis of the recommendations made by the committee constituted to recommend reasonable hiring rates of container trailers and lorries.

It was decided to cut container trailer hiring charges by Rs 200 for local, Rs 300 within the State and Rs 400 for outside the State trips with immediate effect. It has also been decided that the fine paid by transporters on over-weight charges levied by the Motor Vehicles Department will be reimbursed by the users on production of actual bills.

The Port Trust Chairman, Mr N. Ramachandran, said that Bata to trailer workers as decided by the Regional Joint Labour Commissioner would be continued from the transportation charges since this has been taken into account while calculating the transportation charges, till next revision of wages.

The users will not be liable to pay any amount more than what has been fixed as per these recommendations.

The port authorities, employees' unions at the port, port users as well as other stakeholders have requested cooperation of all concerned to ensure that all undesirable collection of money ended immediately.

The Port Trust Chairman said that the port has been making "relentless efforts to provide competitive and cost-effective services to the export-import sector." The efforts had been redoubled in the light of allegations of "unrealistically high transportation charges of containers from and to the Kochi port and also of forcible collection of money from container lorries."

Consultations

The Chairman and top officials of the port had held a series of consultations with the stakeholders such as the chambers of commerce, customs house agents, steamer agents, container-carrier owners and trade union leaders to recommend reasonable hiring rates for container lorries and trailers and also to eliminate all hidden charges. Mr Dominic J. Mechery, Secretary of Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Mr K.C. Kuncheria, Traffic Manager, headed the committee.

The Chairman said that though the committee worked out a distance-based hire charge rate, it showed considerable variations from the existing rates.

The committee also recommended that all "undesirable collections" such as kettukasu, brokerage on container transport, commissions and "hidden charges" for transportation of containers should be stopped forthwith.