Bhubaneswar, Aug. 17: The Paradip Port Stevedores' Association and other organisations have accused the port management of ignoring the interest of local stevedores, dumper owners and workers.

Refuting the allegations, acting port chairman M.T. Krishna Babu told The Telegraph: "We have to give a level-playing field to all stakeholders to ensure that the port runs professionally."

Yesterday, association president Mahimananda Mishra alleged that the port management had allowed an Andhra Pradesh-based company, which is not a member of the association, to handle traffic at the port. "Not only the company was allowed to operate despite our protest, but also the port authorities have, for the first time, filed a police complaint on behalf of the company seeking protection for it," he had said at a news conference.

President of the Dumper Owners' Association Bijoy Kumar Nayak said the port management had allowed the firm to outsource dumpers and unload cargo. "If such outsourcing practice continues, around 400 local dumper owners and around 2,000 drivers and helpers engaged in the intra-state transportation of minerals will be rendered jobless," he said.

General secretary of the Paradip Industrial Workers' Union Ullas Kumar Swain said the management was going to mechanise unloading of wagons. "More than 1,200 workers are engaged in manual unloading of wagons since the past four decades. Mechanising of the process will deprive these workers of livelihood which is contrary to the government's policy of job creation," he said.

"We are not opposed to mechanisation, but the manual berths should be allowed to operate," said Swain.

"We seriously apprehend repeat of the 1987 mayhem when several people, including the officer in-charge of Paradip police station, were killed as a consequence of labour unrest," said Mishra.

The port authorities, however, said: "The allegations are totally false, misconceived and for diverting attention from the monopolistic activities being practised by certain service providers," said a port trust release.

The authorities said there had been no fall in cargo and claimed that the port had handled 27.51 million tonnes of cargo between April 1 and August 15 - which is 8.55 per cent higher than the corresponding period of the last year.