By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMP Kolkata), Chairman Shri, P. L. Haranadh said that SMP Kolkata handled an all-time highest record Cargo Traffic of 54.254 Million Tonnes(MT) during the April 2022 to January, 2023 compared 47.282 million tonnes handled during April, 2021 to January, 2022 and thus registered a growth of 14.75% which is much higher than the national average.
Shri Haranadh further stated that SMP Kolkata ranked 5th in Cargo handling amongst Indian Major Ports during April 2022 to January 2023 vis-a-vis its ranking of 6th during April 2021 to January 2022.
Shri, P. L. Haranadh, Chairman, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata said that Haldia Dock Complex (HDC) handled 40.162 MT of cargo during April 2022 to January 2023 vis-à-vis 34.749 MT during April 2021to January 2022 (an increase of 15.58%).
Kolkata Dock System (KDS) handled 14.092 MT of cargo in April 2022 to January 2023 vis-à-vis 12.533 MT during April 2021- January 2022 (growth of 12.44%).
During April 2022 to January 2023, SMP, Kolkata handled rail-borne traffic of 28.823 MT (KDS-4.92 MT, HDC-23.903 MT) against 24.974 MT (KDS-4.91 MT, HDC-20.064 MT) in April 2021to January 2022, registering a growth of 15.41%. During April 2022 to January 2023, 1221 rakes were received and 1249 dispatched at KDS; at HDC, 5293 rakes were received and 5300 were dispatched during the same period.
Shri Haranadh emphasized that major commodities which attributed to this growth of traffic and SMP Kolkata to achieve this feat, include LPG, Vegetable Oil, other liquid, Manganese Ore, Iron & Steel, Pulses/Preas, Coking Coal and container etc. at Kolkata Dock System(KDS) and POL (Crude), LPG, Other Ore, Coking Coal, Non Coking Coal, Fly ash and Lime Stone etc at Haldia Dock Complex (HDC).
Shri, P. L. Haranadh, Chairman, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata said that this success has been achieved due to growth of diverse cargo, arrival of new and additional cargo coupled with multi-faceted user-friendly measures like better services, improved facilities, cost-effective and customer-friendly charges and all-out efforts of the employees of the port. SMP Kolkata is expected to handle more than 65 million tonnes of cargo by the end of 2022-23 against 58.175 million tonnes of cargo handled during 2021-22.
