To minimise pollution and encourage cargo movement by rail, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) has extended rebate till April 15 on handling charges of transportation of exim cargo on rail to the container freight service of Navi Mumbai.
"In a move to encourage rail transportation, the JNPT Board had granted a waiver of Rs 728 per container towards handling charges of exim containers moved by rail to and from the container freight service on dedicated rakes at JNPT," a Shipping Ministry statement said.
The waiver was granted on October 15, 2015, for 3 months on a trial basis.
"To further encourage rail movement, the Board has extended the rebate for another three months," the statement said.
While the initial rebate applied to containers moved by dedicated rakes both ways, it will now apply to containers that have either arrived or moved out through dedicated rakes placed on JNPT lines," it added.
This will not only encourage the trade for usage of rail transportation, but reduce the congestion and pollution on roads around the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, the statement said.
The development comes in the wake of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari emphasising the need to transport the cargo through rail and water to minimise pollution and make goods movement economical.
Gadkari has recently said the movement of cargo by road costs Rs 1.5 per km in comparison to Re 1 by rail and 50 paise by water.
