Container transport business operators have sought ‘negotiable rates’ as well as ample space for parking container carriers in the wake of the recent Kerala High Court order asking the State government to take strict action against those parking lorries along Container Terminal Road linking Kalamassery and the International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT).
The order was issued by a Division Bench of the High Court headed by Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy, and it brought to focus a long-standing issue that had remained unresolved since the ICTT was inaugurated in February 2011.
Charles George, convener of the Trade Union Coordination Committee which looks after the interests of container carrier workers, said there were more than 2,000 container lorries serving the ICTT. While welcoming the court verdict, he maintained that there was space only for parking around 500 carriers in the allotted parking areas. On weekends, the number of container carriers requiring parking space goes up to 1,000, he said.
‘Promises unkept’
Mr. George, who is also the convener of the Container Monitoring Committee appointed to look into issues among stakeholders, alleged that there was failure on the part of the State government in fulfilling some promises made in July 2017 on parking space availability.
One of the key decisions taken at a meeting of stakeholders was that efforts would be made to get 10 acres inside the Special Economic Zone denotified so that the area could be developed into a large parking space with amenities for lorry crew and drivers.
Kerala Container Carrier Owners’ Association president Rajeev Roshan also said there was not enough notified space for parking containers now. While the space requirement is for around 2,000 container lorries, the available space is only for nearly 600 trailers, he claimed. He added that the parking fee in the designated spaces was in the vicinity of ₹300 a day. The rate is not affordable considering the toll being imposed on vehicles using Container Road.
Meanwhile, officials said the parking space available now was not being fully utilised by container lorries. Officials at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd said the company had developed 3.8 acres at Vallarpadam for parking carriers.
The facility has space for parking around 80 carriers, whereas the occupancy rate is only around 25%.
Container carrier parking charges varied between ₹50 and ₹200 a day for smaller carriers and between ₹60 and ₹300 a day for bigger carriers.
