Traffic on Ennore High Road was severely hit on Thursday as hundreds of trucks lined up outside Ennore and Kattupalli ports, causing congestion at entry and exit points. The delays led to an eight-hour wait for trucks to enter and exit the ports, affecting the movement of goods.
The situation was worsened by power supply disruptions at the ports, which rely on electrical equipment. According to logistics expert C Mohan, power fluctuations during summer have caused substantial delays in loading goods into containers.
Mohan said that Chennai International Terminals Private Limited (CITPL)’s focus on special operations, particularly unloading cargo from ships, has led to less emphasis on efficiently loading containers. This discrepancy has created a cascading effect, with delays at entry point due to trucks waiting longer inside.
Karikalan, president of port trailers association, highlighted inefficiencies on part of agencies responsible for port operations — CITPL and Chennai Container Terminal Limited (CCTL). He said when seven or eight vessels arrive simultaneously, bottlenecks occur, delaying both unloading and loading of trucks.
Additionally, signal issues at customs checkpoints have caused further delays. Mohan said that lengthy scanning procedures now applied to 30% of vehicles arriving and departing from the ports, have added to the congestion. The malfunction of one of the two scanners at the customs checkpoint has only worsened the situation, creating further delays.
“The public suffers a lot as trucks queue up for 10 km on Ennore High Road,” Karikalan said. Despite numerous petitions filed to address the issue, there has been little progress, he said.
