Federal government still unwary of hauliers' strike: activities at ports almost halted

While the goods carriers' strike entered the 5th consecutive day on Saturday bringing transportation of cargo to and from ports to a grinding halt. While innumerable poor people related to the concerned fields are suffering from unemployment mostly as a collateral damage, the poor-friendly Pakistan People's Party (PPP) led federal government is yet to take a mere note of the ongoing economy-devastating developments.
"It's surprising to know that all at the helm of affairs have closed their eyes and ears as nobody from the federal government has even hinted at listening to our demands so far," Ashiq Hussain Niazi, former General Secretary of Karachi Goods Carrier's Association (KGCA) complained.
Claiming 98 percent support from the transporter community and the resultantly complete suspension of haulage of exportable cargo, Niazi said the government was not worried at all even if somebody aimed at damaging the economy of the country. "Despite all such socio-economic disturbances our demands have fallen on deaf ears," he added.
Niazi said though provincial transport minister and DIG traffic had held meetings with his Association they expressed their inability to fulfil their demands pertaining to rising prices of diesel, toll tax and heavy fines by motorway police which, he said saying that this was federal subjects.
On the other hand, though official sources in Karachi Port Trust (KPT) claiming to have zero-effect of the strike backed by Supreme Council of All Karachi Transport Ittehad (SCAKTI) on cargo handling at Karachi Port, said that at least five ships could have been half-loaded with cement at Karachi Port and are facing an acute shortage in further loading of cargo.
According to sources M/V Sea Princes, M/V Sea Bloom and M/V Berdyansk were standing half-loaded at berth numbers 25, 4 and 5 with 4,730 tonnes, 16,399 tonnes and 14,257 tonnes of cement respectively. The three ships, they said, were still waiting for supply of their respective remaining quantity of cement weighing 13,770 tonnes, 3,634 tonnes and 10,745 tonnes.
The case with berth number 25 where Lucky Cement Company is using its own 30-plus bunker trucks for the transportation purposes after recently installing a second bulk cement export facility, was however different as reportedly some unidentified people believed to represent the "union" had attacked the bunkers on the Mauripur Road.
The attackers had not only been reported to have broken window glasses of the vehicles belonging to Lucky Cement or any other private transporting company, but had also maltreated the drivers after snatching driving license and other documents from them.
"I don't understand where should we go when we reach Gulbai the Union's people break our vehicle and Rangers personnel order us to leave this place," complained Shariffullah, a driver from North Waziristan agency with his coal-trailer parked at 15 Number Gate for the last 6 days. "We are extremely fed up with this long stand-off," said another driver Abdul Rehman.
Berth number 24 is idle at present as a rock phosphate laden ship, which was due to arrive in the port during the daytime, was likely to go to berth number one, they said. A cement ship, M/v Ramlah, which sources said has still not been able to send a berthing request to KPT due to non-availability of the cargo and is waiting at the outer anchorage since August 18.
Another point disapproving KPT's all-ok statement, source said, was that during the last 24-hours ending at 7am on Saturday the stevedoring companies had employed only 17 gangs (14 for the day and 03 for night) at Karachi Dock Labour Board (KDLB) as against 50 plus of the pre-strike times.
"Stevedores with the consensus of KPT and ship agents normally employ at least 30 gangs for the day shift and 25-30 for the night shift, but tonight (Saturday) they have demanded only 3 gangs and had employed 14 during the day," they added.
Sources further said out of three employed gangs only one would be working on berth number 8 of Pakistan International Container Terminal (PICT), area of which ranges from berth number 6 to 9, while other two would be deployed on a vessel discharging coal at berth number 2-3.
No gang would be working Saturday night at Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT) which covers berths from 26 to 30, they added. They said as a whole work was suspended on berth numbers 4, 5, 19, 21 and 25, where ships for cement were being handled at present and no KDLB gang was assigned the job for Saturday night (August 23).
They said berths from 10 to 17 were already not functioning after caving in of two of them, 10 and 14, respectively on August 10 and 11 last year. However, the strike had not affected cargo handling at the three oil piers, OP-I, II and III, as the liquid commodity was transported to and from the carriers through fixed pipelines, said the sources. They said that same was the case with the handling of coal cargo, which is transported through dumpers from berths to the KPT Coal Terminal located inside port, at berth numbers 1-2 and 2-3.
Sources in KPT, however, claimed to have handled around 2,500 TEUs at the two terminals and 125,241 metric tonnes of general cargo at its port during the last 24-hours ending at 7:00 hours on Saturday.
As an alternate arrangement the KPT has provided the importers with a back-up area enabling the latter to store their imported commodities till the stalled logistic system is restored. On the other hand, official sources in Port Qasim Authority (PQA) also said that 'soon after the strike cargo handling was suspended at Port Qasim but it has resumed today'.
They, however, said some small transporters who were not a part of the Association were doing the job. "We are discharging the imported wheat and storing it in the back up area as an alternate arrangement," sources added. The chemical cargo handling was also continuing without interruption, said the sources.
It may be recalled that KGCT had announced to continue strike from August 19, 2008 for an indefinite period in protest against the hike in petroleum price and the raise in toll, other taxes by the federal government.