Kolkata Port to pump in Rs 40cr to push digital adoption

The port authorities are undertaking an ambitious project to develop an integrated e-marketplace to facilitate coastal shipping, he said. "This e-marketplace will be a single-window system for all coastal shipments. It will facilitate an integrated, transparent and hassle-free online system for the coastal shipping stakeholders," the port chairman Vinit Kumar said.

The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), rechristened as the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, is investing on digital technologies and has lined up at least Rs 40 crore for various projects to bolster ease of doing business, an official said on Wednesday. The port authorities are undertaking an ambitious project to develop an integrated e-marketplace to facilitate coastal shipping, he said.

"This e-marketplace will be a single-window system for all coastal shipments. It will facilitate an integrated, transparent and hassle-free online system for the coastal shipping stakeholders," the port chairman Vinit Kumar said. An RFID-based port access control system (PACS) is already in place in both Kolkata Dock System and Haldia Dock Complex, for addressing traffic congestion at gates.

"But, now it will go beyond tracking trucks. Now, every container can be located with the same technology in any yard by their owners," Kumar said. To eliminate the paper-based information exchange, the port authorities streamlined the process for adoption of electronic delivery order (eDOs) under the port access control system for import containers.

Now, the Kolkata dock ranks second among the major ports of India in the issuance of eDOs, the port said in a statement. The SMP, Kolkata started a dedicated COVID-19 web portal for its users to provide latest updates related to its operations and initiatives.

A separate web portal for employees and pensioners was also developed to facilitate the online information exchange. PTI BSM BDC BDC