Panaji: After CM Pramod Sawant meet, MPA to empanel local transporters to move cargo

PANAJI: In an apparent bid to placate BJP’s Mormugao MLA Sankalp Amonkar, who has been holding the port to ransom using his political clout by blocking transportation of cargo.
Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) said on Tuesday that it will empanel local transporters to move the shipments.
The MPA, which is not involved in transportation of cargo, decided to get into it after a meeting with chief minister Pramod Sawant.
“As a port, we don’t get into transportation. We don’t have any kind of link with transporters. Our link is with the importers and exporters, and they have their own agreement with the transporters,” MPA chairman N Vinodkumar said.

But with companies moving out their operations from Goa to Jaigarh in Maharashtra due to the unofficial blockade created by Amonkar and with CM’s prod, the port authority will now get into fixing transporters.
“The port was not looking into who is transporting what. Now, the port will look at empanelling the transporters or registering them properly,” Vinodkumar said.
TOI in a series of reports had exposed Amonkar’s high-handedness and muscle flexing as he threatened companies at Mormugao port to “only utilise the services of his strongman” to handle cargo.
His arm-twisting and political interference had led to Aditya Birla group shifting its port operations to Maharashtra, while a Mumbai-based company wrote to MPA to rein in the BJP MLA as it is “detrimental to the survival” of their operations.
Amonkar’s blatant misuse of political pull as a ruling party member has led to losses worth crores of rupees, besides the MPA brand getting tarnished nationally and internationally.
“We don’t know about the involvement of local MLA and all that. We are only trying to ease the situation, wherein transportation moves. Cargo has started moving since yesterday (Monday) and so we are happy about it,” Vinodkumar said.
TOI has in its possession documents that clearly point to Amonkar’s role in blocking transportation of cargo from the port.
On Monday, Amonkar had said that he will continue to “strongly oppose” attempts to monopolise cargo handling operations and he “will not stop my fight against privatisation”.
Vinodkumar tried to downplay the whole issue as “some communication gap between the companies and transporters. Yesterday (Monday), we had a joint meeting, and the cargo movement has started now”.
“We don’t expect problems now. This thing has been discussed with the chief minister also,” the MPA chairman said, adding the CM has been “kind enough to immediately intervene to ease the situation”.
Vinodkumar also said with the CM’s assurance, they will be discussing with the companies that have shifted their operations to Jaigarh. “Some diversion of cargo to Jaigarh port has happened. We will try to get back those businesses. We have still not calculated the kind of loss we have incurred,” he said.