The Hindu Business Line : Normalcy in Paradip rake movement in a day or two

Kolkata, Sept. 20 Iron ore rake movement to Paradip port is to become normal within a day or two, according to South Eastern Railway (SER) and East Coast Railway (ECoR).

Port assurance

This follows assurance from the Paradip port authorities that the mechanical iron ore handling plant, now lying idle, will resume normal operations soon.

The two zonal Railways, which together load 6-7 iron ore rakes a day, had to restrict loading for nearly two weeks following breakdown of the mechanical iron ore handling plant of the port.

Manual loading

In the absence of ship loading of iron ore through the mechanical route, the port authorities had to opt for the manual loading.

As a result, the rate of loading slowed down and 8-10 loaded rakes got stabled on the route to the port.

“We will now remove the restrictions as the detained rakes have been cleared and the iron ore handling plant is ready to resume normal operations,” Railway sources said.

Now that the Daitari-Banspani section has been commissioned, it should be possible to step up the rake movement of iron ore to Paradip port, but that has not happened yet, they added.

Conveyor repair

Mr K. Raghuramaiah, Chairman of Paradip Port Trust, told Business Line from Paradip that the conveyor system of the mechanical iron ore handling plant was being repaired and that the plant should resume normal functioning shortly.

He conceded that the rail arrivals of iron ore at the port dropped, but added that it was not to any significant extent.

Normally, the port on an average receives 6-7 rakes of iron ore a day; this dropped to 4-5 rakes following the problem at the mechanical iron ore handling plant.

The ship-loading, though slowed, was not hit as there were substantial ground stocks of the ore.

Vessels arrival

Right now, there are 24 vessels waiting for berths at Paradip port and seven of them are to load iron ore manually.

Eleven more ore vessels are due to arrive within 15 days, again for manual loading, and two others for mechanical loading.