Cochin Port Trust chairman Paul Antony said here on Wednesday that starting mother vessel service from Kochi to the east coast of the U.S. was under consideration.
Speaking to exporters, he promised that commercial tax matters at check posts, raised by the exporters, too would be addressed.
Officials from the trust had meetings in Tirupur, and Coimbatore and urged the exporters to make use of the facilities at the port to ship their products to overseas destinations.
The exporters said that one of the issues they faced was the delay at Walayar check post. Presently, only about 5 per cent of the garments exported from Tirupur went through Kochi while about 70 per cent was sent through the Thoothukudi port.
“We have reasons for that. Till the early 1990s, nearly 75 per cent of the garments from Tirupur had been exported through Kochi and we gradually shifted from there. One of the deterrent factors is the delays in getting clearance at Walayar post, which was not addressed despite our requests. There were inordinate delays in getting duty drawback claims, and lightning strikes at the Kochi port,” said A. Sakthivel, president of Tirupur Exporters’ Association.
In Coimbatore, the exporters said that the transportation cost they incurred at Kochi was higher, though it was closer, compared to Tuticorin.
The port officials said that they will have a senior executive posted in Coimbatore to address the grievances of the exporters.
S. Anil Kumar, the Additional Commissioner of Customs, said duty draw back pendency had been addressed in the recent times.
The Customs would soon implement measures through which all written communications will be acknowledged in a week, decisions will be conveyed in 15 working days, and drawback amount will be remitted in seven working days. The Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore, president D. Nandakumar said at the meeting held in Coimbatore that exporters faced several issues such as integration of information, material handling, packaging, and transport.
