JNPT transporters threaten strike from Oct 5 on toll issue

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) transporters are on the warpath once again, threatening to strike work on the toll tax issue. Twelve unions have threatened to go on strike from October 5 if the Mumbai JNPT Road Company does not abolish toll tax on what they call the "approach road" to JNPT.

The Mumbai JNPT Road Company is a special purpose vehicle in which National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) holds 50 per cent equity, while JNPT and City and industrial Corporation hold 25 per cent each. It was established to develop roads and other infrastructure in and around the country's busiest port.

JNPT along with Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal (NSICT) handles 2 million 20-foot equivalent unit (TEUs) of cargo every year. Every day the port sees around 5,000-6,000 trucks carrying goods in and out of the port.

Said L N Gupta, vice-president of the All India Motor Transport Congress, "We have no issue on paying toll on a national highway but why should we pay toll on an approach road?" They also complain that the toll is too high at Rs 130 each way coming to Rs 260 just to move in and out of the port.

According to Gupta, the Mumbai and Nhava Sheva Shipping Agents Association (MANSAA) has offered to reimburse the entire toll amount of Rs 41 crore to the port management. The toll collection is done by a Mumbai-based firm, PBA Infrasturcture.

JNPT chairman Ravi Budhiraja has called a meeting with MANSAA, the transporters and the police commissioner to discuss the issue on Saturday morning. The meeting will also discuss issue of connecting state highway 54 (along which there are many container yards) to the port, a senior JNPT official said.

The issue of toll tax on NH 4B has been cropping up ever since the National Highway 4B was inaugurated in June this year.

While NHAI and JNPT have termed the road connecting National Highway 4 to JNPT as NH 4B, the transporters say it is only an approach road to the port and refuse to pay toll for using an approach road.

Last month too, the transporters had struck work for two days but had called off their strike once the port management assured them that they would look into the toll issue.

The port management had offered to issue a monthly pass to all the transporters who ply on the road regularly. But the transporters say that the port management offer is not acceptable.