Agitation hits port operations in AP

The ongoing agitations against bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh have hit port operation in the state. The power outage caused by strike by electricity department employees have affected port operations including cargo handling and evacuation of shipments in the last three days.

Sources in the industry revealed that nearly 70 per cent of the cargo handling had been affected at Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT). Media reports say activities at other ports like Gangavaram and Kakinada Seaports in the AP coast have also been hit by the agitation.

As a result, some customers have also diverted cargo to other ports. All the ports in AP coast are affected and the country will pay for it by way of demurrages, members of Indian Private Ports and Terminals Association said.