Major ports to get advanced radioactive detectors soon

In a bid to prevent hazardous materials being shipped into the country and tighten security, the government has asked all major ports to install advanced radiation detection equipment and ensure port community system (PCS) is functional.

"We have asked all major ports to install modern radioactive material detectors, which will be installed there soon. All major ports have placed orders for procurement of detectors with Electronic Corporation of India," a Shipping Ministry official told PTI.

The equipment comprises vehicle monitoring system, a portal monitor to check personal baggage and special nuclear material baggage detection system for check-in baggages.

The official said in absence of such facilities at Indian ports, the containers to be transshipped to the US were sent to Sri Lanka or Singapore for scans.

Ports security assumes much significance as barring one or two ports, all major ports lack advanced equipment.

Besides, the Ministry has asked ports for implementation of Port Community System (PCS), which is in place and they are exchanging up to ten lakh messages per month with users and customs, the official said.

So far over 2,000 stakeholder and users have registered with PCS.

India at present has 12 Major ports Kolkata-Halida, Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Ennore, Chennai, V O Chidambaranar (formerly Tuticorin), Cochin, New Mangalore, Mormugao, Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru and Kandla.

To augment major port capacity by 288 million tonnes, Shipping Ministry has planned to award as many as 30 projects this fiscal, entailing Rs 26,000 crore investment.

The major ports capacity was recorded at 747.51 MT by the end of the last fiscal.

Capacity augmentation holds significance as cargo traffic at 12 major ports in the country had declined by 2.58% at 545.68 MT during 2012-13.