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Indian ports still underperforming
05 Nov 2007
The Indian government is being criticised for its inability to implement a proposed $12.4bn ports upgrade plan to enable the country to keep pace with growth in traffic.
Critics claim that it currently takes Indian ports four times as long to handle ships compared with regional rivals - direct result of inept planning, red tape and overzealous bureaucrats.
As an example, there is still no completion date for the new Mumbai container terminal, despite the project being launched in 2005; the award was made only recently, in August.
Critics are therefore claiming that Indian trade will ultimately suffer because of a lack of suitable infrastructure.
Port officials agree, pointing out that a capacity hike of 130% is needed over the next five years to accommodate a doubling of shipments.
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