The Government has initiated a coordinated Whole of Government response to ease port congestion at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) after a shortage of trailer drivers at Container Freight Stations (CFS) disrupted cargo movement. Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Sarbananda Sonowal reviewed the situation with Export-Import (EXIM) stakeholders and outlined immediate and longer term measures to sustain Ease of Doing Business.

The meeting focused on congestion that delayed evacuation of 25,000 containers of import cargo and prompted a range of operational interventions by JNPA. Containers were moved by rail to nearby CFSs with railway sidings and double container scanning was introduced to reduce processing time, while selected terminal charges were waived and discounts on ground rent were extended on a case by case basis.

Dedicated green channels for empty trailers were established across terminals to speed turnaround and leading CFS operators pooled nearly 100 trailers to lift entire container stacks for evacuation. These steps materially improved yard management and reduced the number of containers lying at terminals for more than 14 days, and measures are being explored to allow importers direct access to terminal yards and to match export trailers with import loads.

As part of a longer term resilience plan, JNPA has outlined actions to increase driver availability, boost cargo evacuation by rail and engage motor driving training schools to build a larger pool of trained trailer drivers. The authority is also planning a gradual transition to electric vehicles to improve operational sustainability and driver comfort, introducing a Truck Appointment System and encouraging terminals to deploy additional handling equipment.

Officials indicated that coordinated action will continue alongside stakeholder engagement to strengthen supply chain resilience and maintain trade facilitation. The measures are presented as part of a broader effort to build a more efficient, future ready maritime ecosystem aligned with national development priorities.