Visakhapatnam pitched as alternative port

KATHMANDU, AUG 12 -

Stakeholders on Sunday stressed on the need to open Visakhapatnam Port as an alternative port for the country’s foreign trade.

Addressing Nepal-India Business Conclave, “Visakhapatnam Port: Additional Gateway for Nepal’s Export Import Traffic”, Sushil Mulchandani, chief operating officer of Visakha Container Terminal Private Limited—the operator of Visakhapatnam Port, said the port would be more feasible for Nepali traders in terms of efficiency and cost compared to Kolkata port. “This port is efficient, effective and ultra modern, fully equipped with computerised system,” he said. He also claimed that the Nepali traders could check the status of their containers inside the port from Nepal by visiting the company’s website.

Mulchandani said his company could arrange road and rail transportation up to the Nepal’s border from the port, adding “there will be no additional or hidden charges to Nepali containers.”

Given the increment in the volume of Nepal’s trade and the appropriateness of the Visakhapatnam port, he explained, the governments of Nepal and India should include the port in their trade treaty.

Former Commerce Secretary Pusushottam Ojha, however, said for all the advantages the port boasts Nepali traders are not in a position to use it with no letter of credits yet being exchanged between the two governments to implement Railway Service Agreement and Nepal-India Transit Treaty.

Source: The Kathmandu post