July 23: Importers and exporters of Nepal have shown interest in seaports of Haldia and Visakhapatnam due to the mismanagement of Kolkata seaport.

The entrepreneurs expressed their problems due to the delay caused by Kolkata Port Trust during an interaction jointly organized by Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BICCI) and Haldia Dock Complex, the company which operates Haldia Seaport, in Birgunj on July 21.

BICCI Chairman Om Prakash Sharma said that they have been unable to utilize Haldia port even thought they are facing trouble due to mismanagement in Kolkata. Haldia port is 120 kilometers away from Kolkata.

Sharma said they have been forced to look for alternatives as the officials of Kolkata Port Trust have turned a deaf ear to their grievances.

Kolkata is the nearest seaport from Nepal. It is 704 km from Birgunj. However, immediate past chairman of BICCI Pradeep Kumar Kedia said that Haldia would be a suitable alternative to Kolkata even though it is a little far away.

According to Kedia, Birgunj Dry Port has been facing lots of problems due to the negligence of Indian Railwlays while importing goods from Kolkata.

Meanwhile, Haldia Dock Complex Chairman G Senthilvel assured to provide quality service to Nepali importers at Haldia Port. He said that he would ensure that the shipping companies would not have to pay exorbitant prices for using the service of Haldia Port and also claimed that the service there has been efficient.

Nepali importers had to pay a fine of more than Rs 8 billion to Kolkata Port Trust and Indian shipping companies due to the Madhes agitation and blockade imposed by India in late 2015.