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Kochi, port of call for protesters

Sajeev Kumar V.

OF LATE, Kochi port has been the venue for a series of protests by various parties, both regional and national. It started in October, when Janata Dal activists, led by the former Prime Ministers, Messrs V. P. Singh and H. D. Deve Gowda, staged a protest in the port area against the import of agro-products and edible oils.

After that, the port witnessed four rounds of agitation, crippling cargo movement. The latest round of agitation was held on December 18 by Democratic Youth Federation of India members. The DYFI men not only blocked roads leading to the port, but also th e harbour mouth with country craft and fishing boats for about eight hours to prevent ingress and egress of vessels.

The frequent protests by the parties to the Centre's economic policies are cause for concern to shippers, port management and various trade unions, especially at a time when the port is trying to attract more cargo and improve its operation.

``It is very unfortunate that the Kochi port has become the focal point of all the anti-liberalisation agitation that causes huge losses, both in terms of revenue and traffic,'' according to Dr Jacob Thomas, Chairman of Cochin Port Trust (CoPT). He estim ated the loss caused by the DYFI blockade at Rs 6 lakh by way of various port charges and cargo handling fees. The indirect loss would be much more, he added.

A cruise liner, which was to call at Kochi port that day, was diverted to Mangalore. The revenue earning from a tourist vessel is higher than that from a bulk and break-bulk vessel. The estimated loss due to the diversion of the cruise vessel was about $ 10,000 by way of berth hire, pilotage and port dues. Tourism, being the main industry of Kerala, this diversions would send wrong signals to the visiting tourists, Dr Thomas said.

At the recent Kerala Travel Mart, organised by the State Tourism Department, the port authorities suggested that Kochi be developed into a tourist destination. Though the response to the suggestion was overwhelming, the port authorities are doubtful of i ts fruition following the string of protests.

The shipping industry in Kochi, too, is upset at this trend. It feels these would send wrong signals to prospective users of the port, particularly at a time when the port is trying to stay ahead of the other ports in the region.

A leading shipping operator said Kochi might lose out to the neighbouring ports and to road transport if the agitation against the import of agri products through Kochi port continues.

The shipping industry in Kochi has appealed to political parties in Kerala not to target that port for staging protests. They said frequent agitations might reduce the port to a fishing harbour only. While the governments in the neighbouring States are w orking towards developing their ports, politicians in Kerala seem oblivious to the fallout of their so-called `anti-Centre programmes,' they pointed out.

Resenting the frequent blockades at the Kochi port, Mr P. M. Mohammed Haneef, Joint Secretary, All-India Port and Dock Workers' Federation, questioned the wisdom of protesting the imports of agriculture commodities and edible oils in Kochi, saying it was coming in through other ports.

Mr Haneef wanted to know why Mr Deve Gowda did not target either the New Mangalore Port or the Karwar Port in his own State for staging the agitation, or why Mr V.P. Singh did not chose some other port. He said the CoPT worked hard to project Kochi as an ideal import-export destination. Its management, trade unions and port users had jointly persuaded exporters and importers to choose Kochi to ship cargo. The workers not only ensured that the port remained free from unrest for the past few years, but al so achieved high level of productivity. But Kochi, he adds, would lose the impression of a dependable port if these protests continued.

Pic.: DYFI workers patrolling the Kochi port channel to prevent the movement of vessels as part of their blockade.

Picture by K.K. Mustafah