Major ports in India handled 560.9 million tonnes of cargo during the period April 2017 to January, 2018.
The number represents a growth of 4.6% compared to 536.41 million tonnes handled during the corresponding period of previous year.
For the period from April 2017 to January 2018, eight ports, including Kolkata, Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Cochin, New Mangalore, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and Deendayal, registered positive growth in traffic.
The highest growth was registered by Cochin Port at 18.4%, followed by Paradip with 16%, Kolkata including Haldia with 13.5%, New Mangalore qith 7.4% and JNPT with 5.9%.
Cochin Port growth was mainly due to an increase of 24.5% in traffic of POL, containers increased by 11.4% and other other cargo was up by 1.02%. In Kolkata Port, overall growth was 13.5%.
In a separate release, the Government of India said that the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the incorporation of the Official Amendments to the Major Port Authorities Bill 2016, which is pending in the Parliament.
The changes that are being incorporated include an increase in the number of Labour representatives to be appointed among the employees of the port from one to two, a limitation that the member representing the interest of the employees will hold office for a term of three years and will not hold office for more than two consecutive terms and his Board membership is co-terminus with his retirement.
Among other changes is the number of independent members in the Port Authority Board, which would be minimum two to maximum four.
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