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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Choked JNPA’s relief for containers

Mumbai : The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) – which handles nearly 50 pc of India’s container traffic – announced a slew of measures bringing relief to exporters whose containers remain stuck, choking up the port in the wake of the Gulf War.   JNPA Chairperson Gaurav Daya along with top officers and stakeholders are monitoring the situation 24x7 and has given relief by way of 100 pc waivers of ground rent/dwell-time charges.   An estimated 3,250-plus containers bound for different...

Choked JNPA’s relief for containers

Mumbai : The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) – which handles nearly 50 pc of India’s container traffic – announced a slew of measures bringing relief to exporters whose containers remain stuck, choking up the port in the wake of the Gulf War.   JNPA Chairperson Gaurav Daya along with top officers and stakeholders are monitoring the situation 24x7 and has given relief by way of 100 pc waivers of ground rent/dwell-time charges.   An estimated 3,250-plus containers bound for different countries are stuck at the JNPA, rattling exporters, particularly those laden with perishable food stuffs, medicines and other emergency supplies, worth thousands of crores of rupees.   The waiver charges shall be applicable for 15 days, from midnight of Feb. 28 to midnight of March 14 for all containers lying inside the JNPA Terminals from Feb. 2 or those which had entered its gates till 0700 hrs of March 8, as per a circular issued by JNPA GM (Traffic) Girish Thomas.   “All terminal operators shall waive 80 per cent of the reefer plug in charges up to 15 days to those stranded reefer containers loaded with perishable goods, which were tying inside from Feb. 28 or those or those which had gated in till 0700 hours on March 8 only,” the circular reads.    The JNPA comprises five container terminals – the Nhava Sheva Free Port Terminal (NSFT), Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal (NSICT), Nhava Sheva India Gateway Terminal (NSIGT), Bharat Mumbai Container Terminal (BMCT), and GTI-APM Terminal (APM). They are operated by a mix of Indian and global port operators, including DP World, PSA International, APM Terminals, and JM Baxi.   The JNPA said it will provide all necessary help and relief as per directives of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPS&W).   Prior to this, the Port and Terminal Operators had already extended relief to the EXIM community which included a facility to store stranded containers in the terminals container yards till the cargo is shipped out.   It engaged in constant consultation with the Customs authorities to facilitate storage of laden containers from other ports destined to the Middle East, as temporary transshipment cargo at JNPA terminals, besides providing additional storage area to the terminals for stacking such extra cargo.

Congress-Left Rift Exposes Power Games

New Delhi: Cracks widen in I.N.D.I.A. alliance as Congress and Left clash in Kerala/West Bengal polls, prioritizing state power over ideology. History of flip-flops fuels accusations of cynical opportunism, eroding public trust amid national unity facade.

 

Ahead of the Kerala and West Bengal assembly elections, cracks have emerged between the Congress and Left parties, with both gearing up to clash head-on in the electoral arena. The echoes of this rift reverberated in a recent meeting of the I.N.D.I.A. alliance's parliamentary parties. The Marxist Communist Party (CPI(M)) openly targeted Congress's biggest leader, Leader of opposition in Parliament Rahul Gandhi, exposing deep tensions. Whether it's the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. alliance or the earlier United Progressive Alliance (UPA), history shows Congress has always fought elections against CPI(M) in Kerala and West Bengal assembly polls. What kind of political ideology is this, where parties unite for Lok Sabha elections but turn adversaries in state assembly contests?

 

This naturally begs the question that in this game of alliances, are Congress, the Left, and other I.N.D.I.A. bloc constituents indulging in opportunistic politics driven by a thirst for power? Are they playing tricks on the public just to grab the throne? If their alliances were rooted in ideology, they would stick together from Lok Sabha to assembly elections, united by principle.

 

Flash point

The flashpoint came during an I.N.D.I.A. bloc parliamentary meeting in Kerala, originally called to strategize for the Parliament session and forge a united opposition front against the central government. But the discussion swiftly pivoted to escalating differences between Congress and the Left. CPI(M) MPs took strong exception to Rahul Gandhi's recent statement during a Kerala visit, where he accused central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of targeting opposition leaders but sparing Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

 

In West Bengal, a senior Congress leader revealed the central leadership's calculus that with little to lose, going solo is the smarter play. Post-alliance breakup with the Left, focus shifts to bolstering vote share, not seat-sharing math. TMC and BJP are expected to dominate anyway. After days of silence, CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby accused Congress of drifting from a broad anti-communal unity, insisting his party favors collaboration with like-minded forces but slamming Congress's stance as isolationist.

 

The analysis

Political analysts warn this split could fragment opposition votes, benefiting TMC. Yet they don't rule out informal grassroots understandings between left and congress. In both states, ditching the alliance lets Congress and the Left campaign comfortably, dodging awkward questions from voters. In Kerala, the Left has held power for two straight terms since 2021, breaking a decades-old pattern of alternating every five years between Left and Congress. Riding an anti-incumbency wave, Congress and Rahul Gandhi now eye a comeback, launching direct attacks on CPI(M). This has irked the Left, whose survival hinges solely on Kerala.

 

If we look at the political background, the I.N.D.I.A. alliance was formed mainly to create a united strategy against the BJP-led NDA. In several states, opposition parties are trying to contest elections together. Electoral processes, unemployment, inflation, and concerns over constitutional institutions are part of the opposition's shared agenda.

 

Watching this alliance charade ahead of Lok Sabha and assembly polls, the public is baffled that What's the real basis of these tie-ups? Do parties form and break them for keeping in mind the interests of leaders and parties, or based on ideology? Do they consider the welfare of the people and the nation's interests in doing so? Is coalition politics just opportunism masquerading as strategy? Voters deserve answers-will I.N.D.I.A.'s flip-flops erode trust, or can they justify this as pragmatic realism? Until then, the stench of power hunger lingers.


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