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MUMBAI: Though state transport minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil suggested that the MbPT hazardous waste-handling facility at Sewri be shifted out of city limits, port officials said it would “not be a feasible’’ move.
According to them, it was more practical to have a system for efficient and safe handling of hazardous cargo, which is of a “minuscule quantity’’.
While MbPT chairman Rahul Asthana endorsed the transport minister’s view, saying that a proposal to shift would soon be tabled before the board, port officials themselves did not seem enthusiastic about it. A senior official said, “It does not make sense to shift the facility as it would be nearly impossible to find a Customs-notified area outside city limits. Moreover, where is the land to set up another such system?’’
However, MbPT chairman Rahul Asthana said hazardous cargo should be handled at a less-congested port outside city limits. Not agreeing with him, MbPT officials said facilities at JNPT could not be used as they only dealt with the transport of containers; MbPT handled general cargo. “If the facility is shifted out of the city, it would be extremely difficult for vessels to first drop the hazardous cargo at the new place and then return to MbPT in Mumbai to offload the remaining general cargo,’’ said another senior port official.
In 1993, as part of the construction of Asia’s largest warehouse in Sewri, the hazardous waste-handling facility received a completely revamp; the entire premises now cover a total area of 33,000 sq m. Before that, the warehouse did not have any system in place to segregate hazardous cargo from general consignments. The modernisation system was initiated after a massive fire broke out due to the mixture of several chemicals at the site 25 years ago. The warehouse now handles mostly coal cargo, petrochemicals and lubricants.
