The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Cargo handling charges 8 p.c. more at Devanahalli airport

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Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008
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Cargo handling charges 8 p.c. more at Devanahalli airport

Staff Reporter

Negotiations with consortiums helped limit the charges

Bangalore: The cargo handling charges at the new Bangalore International Airport at Devanahalli will be 8 per cent higher than that levied by the cargo warehouse operator at the HAL Airport.

This was disclosed by representatives of two private consortiums, which would be handling the two cargo warehouses at the new airport, during an interactive meeting organised by the Bangalore Chamber of Industries and Commerce on Tuesday.

Henry Christopher, assistant vice-president (cargo) of Air India-SATS Cargo Handling Ltd., and Tarun Sethi, commercial manager of Menzies Aviation-Bobba Ltd., said they had already released their cargo handling charges and the rates are about 8 per cent higher than the present ones.

They said that unlike at the HAL airport, the airside cargo work (receiving cargo from airlines and transporting it to warehouses) will be done round the clock and that would ensure much less dwelling time than at the present airport. Mr. Henry and Mr. Tarun have said that all facilities — safety lockers, cold storages, etc. — to take care of any type of cargo being provided at the new warehouses are of international standards.

Bangalore Customs House Agents’ Association Limited president D.V. Prabhu said the association negotiated with the consortiums on fixing the handing charges and as a result the increase was limited to 8 per cent. It would have been against the interest of industry if the hike were to be on the higher side, said Mr. Prabhu.

Customs ready

Assuring the industry that the Customs Department was prepared to work from the new airport, Chief Commissioner of Customs Heera Radhakrishnan said that they would offer cargo assessment and examination services at HAL Airport premises till the cargos, received before its closure, were cleared by the Customs.

She, however, made it clear that assessment and examination of cargo that would land at new airport from the midnight of May 11 would be done at the new airport complex. With the revenue from cargo handling from Bangalore touching Rs. 3,000 crore this year, the department would ensure that it does not give room for shifting of cargo transportation to other airports. Commissioner for Customs A.K. Kaushal anticipated no hurdles at the new airport and said the department will deploy more staff to avoid any delay in customs clearance.

MSIL loses staff

The air cargo complex handled by a consortium led by Mysore Sales International Limited (MSIL) at the HAL Airport complex is now facing a severe shortage of staff which is resulting in delay in delivery of cargo. MSIL Chief General Manager Nalini Gowda said alternative arrangements are being made to avoid delay in cargo handling.

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