Paradip, Sept. 19: Manual and mechanised cargo handling resumed at Paradip port today after a 72-hour inactivity amid the ongoing tussle between the port authorities and local service providers.

Police and Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) were deployed in large numbers inside the core area to prevent any untoward incident.

Coking coal from MV Harm, which had been left stranded for a week was unloaded. Raw phosphates imported by Paradip Phosphates Limited and Iffco fertiliser plants were also offloaded from two other ships, said a port official.

In a related development, state government today refused to intervene in port administrative and policy decision affairs. In a bid to resolve the stalemate, chief secretary Gokul Chandra Pati today visited the port and held talks with senior port officials.

"Engagement of service providers is the sole prerogative and right of the port. The state government would have no say on the matter as the port is regulated by its own sets of rules and law," Pati said.

"Our priority is to extend the best possible help to the port for maintenance of law and order so that day-to-day activities are not affected. The local administration has been directed to deal with those trying to disrupt peace in the port," he said.

Service providers such as stevedores and dumper owners are opposing port move to engage their own dumpers and also allow those from outside the state to operate.

"We appreciate the co-operation of the government in extending help to us to resume normal cargo handling," said port trust deputy chairman N. Vaiyapuri.

A spokesman for Paradip Port Stevedores' Association Basant Kumar Bal said: "As thefirm carrying out cargo handling is not a member of our association, it has no right to operate here. This practice is common everywhere."