Truckers’ strike paralyses export-import business

The ICDs at Sabarmati-Ahmedabad,Ankleshwar and Vadodara,and ports like Kandla,Pipava and Mundra are reportedly the worst hit.

Devendra Thakkar,a transporter and former president of the Customs House Agents Association,Ahmedabad,said: “The strike has hit the export and import business in the state badly. It has resulted in blockade of funds,shortage of raw materials and rise in detention charges.”

According to Thakkar,at Sabarmati ICD,over 1,000 20-foot units (TEUs) are blocked. These units normally had a business of transporting 7,500 TEUs per month.

Kandla Port,like the ICDs in Ahmedabad,is in trouble. “About 2,000 containers at the port are held up. Normally,at this port,3,000 to 4,000 containers are imported and 1,000 to 1,500 containers are exported every month. There is a loss of Rs 100 crore every day,” said Dhiren Chaya,secretary,Kandla Custom House Agent.

“As exports are held up,we are also losing foreign exchange worth at least 50,000 dollars every day,” said Chaya.Mundra Port has reported a loss of 25 per cent in the volume of export,said sources.

According to the officials of the Pipavav Custom House Agents,the port has a record of handling 12,500 TEUs – 7,500 in export and 5,000 in import. Currently,it is handling only 7,000 to 8,000 TEUs,of which 400 are in export and 300 in import.

In Vadodara,the sources said,the volume to the tune of 450 to 500 TEUs is held up. The ICDs in Vadodara are clearing only the backlog and once it is completed,the business is likely to come to a standstill.

The officials from the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry refused to comment on the matter,saying they were busy in the preparations of the Vibrant Gujarat Investors’ Summit 2009.

The Ahmedabad Motor Transport Association (AMTA) has taken up the matter with the state government.

Jitu Sanghvi,president of AMTA,said: “The matter could not be resolved when we met the government representatives two days ago. Nevertheless,we want fulfilment of our demands and we know that we have not done anything illegal by calling for the strike. Secondly,we are not forcing the truckers to stop their business.”

Meanwhile,many companies engaged in exim business have suffered huge losses. Durga Crane Services is just one of them. The company,one of the largest ICDs in Sabarmati-Ahmedabad,has reportedly lost 50 per cent of its business. Babulal Sharma,the manager of the company,said,“We have been running into losses to the tune of Rs 600 crore every month,if I take into stock only 3,000 containers. The actual loss is much more.”