October 29, 2020: Key initiative to boost Direct Port Entry; helps save cost and time for export containers.
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) has opened a new Centralized Parking Plaza (CPP) for container tractor trailers with Customs facilitation, as part of its efforts to promote ease of doing
business. The parking plaza spread across 45 hectares has a capacity to park 1,538 tractor trailers at a time. The plaza has been built exclusively to integrate the parking of tractor trailers carrying factory stuffed export containers at one location instead of multiple locations earlier.
This will help integrate document processing by Customs with state-of-the art facilities and service provision. The plaza will be managed using Real Time Parking Management system and has a WiFi provision within the premises. It has a dormitory for truck drivers to stay, canteen for providing food to truck drivers, well-maintained toilets, area for vehicle repair and maintenance and commercial building.
The Centralized Parking Plaza will have guards and staff at each entry gate and entry lane to guide the tractor trailers to respective entry gates and lanes for entry formalities to ensure that at tractor trailers don’t have to wait in queue for entry.
The CPP will also have MIS system where the details of the tractor trailers such as Name of driver, Contact Number, In timing, Truck No, Container No, Size of Container, Type (Dry/Hazardous/Reefer), Shipping Bill no, CHA Contact Number, Terminal will be recorded.
Once the data entry is done at the entry gates, a parking number will be allotted to the tractor trailer based on its characteristics such as destination terminal, type of cargo, size of container etc. All information collected will be linked with parking number and a unique id with the date, time and stamp will be allotted and stored in the central server.
Further, the tractor trailer in CPP will be guided to its parking location using variable messaging signs, other signages and will be moved to a parking bay near the inspection area. Once the Customs official inspects and clears the container, the tractor trailer will be allotted the parking bay. When the Let Export Order (LEO) is issued, the tractor trailer is free to leave the CPP through the respective exit gates.
“JNPT is the only port in India which has planned for a facility of this scale and CPP is a key initiative to streamline the traffic movement and improve the port efficiencies using IT services, at the same time provide convenience facilities and amenities at very nominal rates to truck drivers who travel long distances to reach the Port. The Centralized Parking Plaza is an important part of our constant endeavour to provide the ease of doing business within the Port,’’ Sanjay Sethi, IAS, Chairman, JNPT said during a visit to the plaza today along with senior officials to oversee the functioning of the new facility.
The plaza system will ease the movement of container trucks on JNPT roads and will help respective terminals plan their tractor trailer movements in a better way. JNPT has appointed Nirmala Auto Care Centre for operation, management and Maintenance of Centralized Parking Plaza.
