Kakinada anchorage port. (Image: DC)
Kakinada: The existence of the 150-year-old Kakinada anchorage port is under serious threat and thousands of families depending on it for their livelihood are worried over the state government’s allegedly harsh stand on the port. They say a double standard of the government is making matters worse. Governmental agencies have been asked to thoroughly check the rice cargo of exporters in Kakinada. Check posts have been specially set up for this purpose to ascertain whether PDS rice is being smuggled out to foreign markets.
However, the same exporters face no questions and no checks in their cargo exports from ports like Gangavaram. Due to this, the exporters are shifting their cargo loads to ports other than the Kakinada anchorage port, it is noted.
At present, boiled rice is being sent abroad. Four days back, the Union government lifted the ban on raw rice. But many of the exporters are not willing to handle their cargo at the anchorage port due to the present hassles.
Nearly 1 lakh metric tonne of boiled rice has been diverted to other ports like Kandla, Paradeep etc by these exporters. The state government says it is taking stringent steps to curb diversion of Public Distribution System (PDS) rice for exports.
The anchorage port in Kakinada is known for rice exports for over a century. The port run by the government is dependent on the local shipping trade. The Union Government also uses the anchorage port to export rice cargo to African countries free of cost.
“After the TD-led alliance government assumed power, it kept an eye on the Kakinada anchorage port on the basis of allegations that the PDS rice was being clandestinely exported abroad through the port. Civil supplies officials seized some consignments of rice at the port and set up check posts to keep track of the rice cargo movement at the anchorage port,” port sources said.
Till four days back, there existed a ban on raw rice exports. Only boiled rice was being handled in the port for export abroad,” they said.
Another problem is of an abnormal delay in releasing the lorries carrying cargo to the anchorage port. Check post officials delay the passage of lorries with a view to taking bribes from the operators, it is alleged.
Under the circumstances, the exporters are now avoiding the port and moving their cargo consignments to Kandla, Paradeep etc. The anchorage port authorities and those depending on the port for their livelihood are worried that the port operations might grind to a halt.
It is noted that even the Gangavaram port, run by the Adani group, is attracting consignments from local exporters. These exporters are sending boiled rice abroad through the Visakhapatnam port “without any hurdle.”
“Nobody checks the rice loads there, whether it is PDS or not. Loads of cargo are directly entering the Visakhapatnam port for export.”
According to local shipping trade estimates, nearly one lakh tonnes of boiled rice went to other ports, much to the loss of the anchorage port. At present, six ships are waiting in the anchorage port to carry 2.20 lakh metric tonnes of rice from Kakinada.
According to agents, while there is an abnormal delay in the release of lorry loads for the Kakinada anchorage port, the lorry owners are charging extra money for the delay, and this is an additional burden on the exporters.
“A strange situation prevails in Kakinada anchorage port. In the name of checking clandestine PDS rice exports, the state government is killing its own port,” they said.
“This looks strange. On the one side, the alliance government headed by chief minister Chandrababu Naidu is inviting investors to AP and offering them more incentives. On the other, it is harming the well-run anchorage port,” they said.
Kakinada MLA Vanamadi Venkateswara Rao criticised the government stand on the anchorage port. He noted, “There is no checking on rice cargo when it crosses state borders. Officials are imposing their will only on the anchorage port.”
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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