The movement of reefers to Visakhapatnam Port from the Container Freight Stations and processing plants at Bhimavaram and other places in the Godavari districts which remained paralysed for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday owing to the COVID-19 lockdown will resume from Friday.
On an average, 40 to 50 containers carrying shrimp and other fish items are transported to Visakhapatnam port, after they are processed in the Godavari districts.
Owing to denial of permission by the police during the lockdown period now, the vehicles laden with containers are not able to ply on roads from the Container Freight Stations to the processing plants, and again to Visakha Container Terminal Private Limited (VCTPL), which manages the container berth of Visakhapatnam Port as a Build, Own and Operator (BOT) investor.
According to sources, as many as 200 vehicles carrying the export products are stranded owing to lockdown. VPT Chairman K. Rama Mohan Rao met Collector V. Vinay Chand on Thursday and a decision was taken allowing the port authorities to issue passes to the vehicles. DCP (South) B. Uday Bhaskar has been made nodal officer for smooth issuing of passes.
National Association of Container Freight Station vice-president G. Sambasiva Rao told The Hindu that they had represented about the issue to the port, district administration and police authorities, seeking issuing of passes so that they could carry out the transport activity.
Essential service
“Being essential service providers, we have been exempted. The reefers carry highly perishable commodities with a limited shelf life,” said Mr. Sambasiva Rao. Appreciating the measures undertaken for containing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in and around Visakhapatnam region, Mr. Sambasiva Rao said port activities would come under the Essential Services Act. “So, there is a dire necessity to move the raw materials used for food processing units, pharmaceutical units and power generation companies without any interruption,” he said.
Perishable goods
“If we cannot move the requisite raw materials on a priority basis, power production will be badly affected and perishable goods such as seafood will be destroyed and pharma units cannot manufacture drugs at this juncture. Reefer cargo also comes under Essential Services Act. Finished products/fish was stuck up at food processing plants due to space constraints in cold storage,” he added.
