Even as the standoff between the Paradip Port Trust (PPT) and the Paradip Port Stevedores’ Association and other organisations backing its demands continued, cargo loading and unloading work at the port, which had come to a grinding halt on Wednesday, began on Saturday with Seaways Shipping & logistics Pvt ltd (SSlPl), an Andhra Pradesh-based stevedoring firm, carrying out unloading of hard coking coal from a JSPl vessel named MV HARM that had berthed at the port since Wednesday.
Waking up to the gravity of the situation rather late in the day, the State Government rushed Chief Secretary GC Pati to Paradip to hold talks with the contending parties in a bid to find a way out of the stalemate.
Pati held discussions with PPT Chairman MT Krishna Babu and urged him to keep a close watch on the situation. The Chief Secretary issued strict instructions to the district administration to maintain law and order, sources said.
The SSlPl entered the port premises with 25 dumpers for unloading of coal from MV HARM berthed at CQ-1 berth port amid heavy security arrangements. A total of 22 platoons of policemen and CISF personnel were deployed at the port premises to avert any untoward incident.
But palpable tension prevailed in the area with the Dumper Owners’ Association and Paradip Port Stevedores’ Association continuing their stir protesting against the decision to allow stevedoring work to the SSPl.
Many leading steel plants and power plants which are sourcing their raw materials through the Paradip port have represented to the port authorities that the stoppage of stevedoring operations, intra-port operations and wagon loading operations from September 16 by members of the Paradip Port Stevedoring Association severely affected their productions and requested to intervene in the matter for immediate commencement of the referred operations.
The sudden disruption of various port operations will not only incur loss to the trade, but also the image of the port may be affected internationally, said a PPT release.
It is also reliably learnt that some of the importers/exporters operating with the PPT are planning to divert their vessels to neighbouring ports.
In view of all this, the PPT Chairman appealed to the Paradip Port Stevedores’ Association to resume their operations immediately by duly abiding the Paradip Port Stevedoring Regulations, 2009.
It was reiterated that the Paradip port would facilitate the industries to get their cargo requirements so that their production would not suffer.