Anchorage port gets back fertilizer imports

Kakinada, Oct 8 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Government has favourably considered the demand of the port workers and decided to restore fertilizer imports to the old Anchorage port.

Port sources here today said fertilizer imports would now be handled at the Anchorage port only, discontinuing the system of diverting the same to the Deep Water ports with immediate effect.

Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy has considered the plight of the Anchorage port workers, who were virtually deprived of their livelihood due to diversion of the fertilizer imports, the sources added.

Hailing the decision of the Chief Minister as a victory to the thousands of port workers, who were agitating against diversion of cargo to the Deep Water port, the Port Cargo Boats and Steel Barges Workers Union President Vanamadi Virababu hoped that the government would honour its committment on safeguarding the interests of the age-old port and stop diversion of traditional cargos from the Anchorage.

He said of the total imported cargo handled at the Anchorage port, the fertilizers constituted nearly ninety per cent. The port has handled 10.91 lakh MTs of imports during 2007-08 of which 10.37 lakh MTs alone were fertilzers.

But with the diversion of the fertilizer imports recently to the Deep Water port, the Anchorage port functioning was adversely affected, he added.

UNI XR/BR MIR AS2058