Cargo stir affects imports

NEW DELHI, December 27: With imports getting severely hit by the continuing cargo loaders strike at the Indira Gandhi International Airport...

NEW DELHI, December 27: With imports getting severely hit by the continuing cargo loaders strike at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, and importers/exporters refusing to pay handling charges, the Airports Authority of India8217;s AAI losses are running into a few crore rupees. Reduced import cargo also means loss of revenue for the badly-strapped customs department 8212; as a general rule, import cargo sent by air has a much higher value than that being sent by sea.

While Airports Authority officials maintained that flight checking and unloading of import cargo had functioned at 90 per cent of that normally, importers said the AAI had been able to reduce the backlog of flights for checking from 15 to 7 today only because of the fewer flights carrying cargo. Interestingly, when contacted by The Indian Express, a senior AAI official said that the strike was over 8211; he later retracted his statement, and said he wasn8217;t sure.

According to one consolidator 8211; agents who handle import and export cargo for clients 8211; his company alone had over 300 import packages held up at airports in Europe and the East. The extent of how much import cargo is not coming in can be gauged from the fact that there are over 35 consolidators for import cargo operating in the Delhi airport. In many cases the consolidators themselves have asked their clients to stop shipment of the cargo from abroad because of the 2-5 day lag in checking flights and the shortage of loaders.

Interestingly, while the Delhi Customs Clearing Agents Association said both import and export cargo had been moving smoothly, this may also have its own adverse impact later. The agents are now bringing in their own loaders to physically handle the cargo, but there is no foolproof system to check pilferage. Since the supervisory cargo staff has also gone on strike, the AAI is finding it difficult to monitor the movement of cargo 8212; under the law, the AAI is finally responsible for the security of the cargo, and will eventually have to bear all liability for losses.

The AAI had earlier hoped that the workers would call off the strike today after a meeting with senior officials. However, the meeting could not take place. According to Sudhir Kumar, executive director cargo, the workers have now dropped their demands to be regularised as AAI staff and have instead begun demanding improved uniforms and entitlement to gazetted holidays.