New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) The Government has initiated special measures to ease container movement at Mumbai’s Jawahar Lal Nehru Port Authority which include rail evacuation, waiver of handling charges, green channels and trailer pooling to ease bottlenecks caused by disruptions due to the Middle East conflict.

A high-level meeting chaired by Minister of Ports and Shipping Sarbananda Sonowal and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday focused on better container movement as the Gulf-bound containers have also been rerouted to JNPA, placing additional pressure on port and logistics infrastructure.

Responding swiftly to the situation, JNPA implemented a series of operational interventions to relieve terminals and expedite cargo evacuation. Containers were evacuated through rail movement even to nearby Container Freight Stations (CFSs) equipped with railway sidings, while simultaneous scanning of double containers was introduced to reduce processing time, according to an official statement.

“Held a highly productive meeting with my senior colleague Union Minister Piyush Goyal to address the challenges emerging from the global situation and to ensure seamless trade facilitation for the trading community. Guided by a ‘Whole of Government’ approach, we are taking coordinated and proactive measures across ports and logistics systems to sustain Ease of Doing Business (EODB), Sonowal said.

To provide relief to trade stakeholders, Intern-Terminal Railway Handling Operation (ITRHO) charges and Change of Mode of Transport charges were waived. Port terminals also extended waivers and discounts on ground rent charges on a case-to-case basis.

Dedicated green channels for empty trailers were established across terminals to facilitate faster turnaround. In another major initiative, leading CFS operators pooled nearly 100 trailers to lift entire container stacks, enabling the evacuation of long-pending and buried containers from congested yards. These coordinated efforts have significantly improved yard management, reducing the number of relatively old containers lying at terminals.

“In line with the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government is committed to building a resilient, efficient and future-ready trade and logistics ecosystem. We are resolved to take swift, coordinated measures to protect the interests of the EXIM community, the minister added.

As part of a long-term resilience strategy, JNPA has also outlined a comprehensive roadmap to strengthen logistics preparedness and future cargo handling capabilities.

The measures include intensified efforts by CFS operators and transporters to increase driver availability, enhanced cargo evacuation through railways, and engagement with motor driving training schools to build a larger pool of trained trailer drivers. The port authority is also planning a gradual transition to electric vehicles to improve operational sustainability and driver comfort. In addition, a Truck Appointment System is being introduced to improve movement at terminal gates, while terminals are being encouraged to deploy additional handling equipment to support rising cargo volumes.

–IANS

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