Paradip, Oct. 2: Mechanised cargo handling has come to a halt in Paradip port, with over 50 iron ore plots being stuck in legal wrangles.

The process has become time consuming with unloading of ores being carried out manually.

Inordinate delay has led to hold-ups and slowdown of traffic. Besides, it has also led to traffic jam as the ore-laden trucks remain stranded on the highway for days together.

Ports in Visakhapatnam, Haldia and Gangavaram, which account for handling of iron ores, are all equipped with the mechanised cargo handling facility. On the other hand, Paradip portis bereft of the facility.

“The iron ore handling is being done manually as the stockyard plots do not have facility for the mechanised operation,” said port trust traffic manager Kishore Kumar Sahu.

However, permits for 59 iron plots with the mechanised handling facility have been cancelled following an Orissa High Court order. The court has restrained any activity on the plots. To meet with the rise in iron ore export, the port has created 20 more plots for stockpiling of the ores. But, the newly created plots are not equipped with mechanised operation, he said.

The Paradip truck operators have stepped up demand for installation of the mechanised handling capacity following the rising trend in the iron ore transportation.

In another development, the Kendrapara district administration has enforced a 10-day prohibition on the movement of Paradip port-bound ore-laden trucks on the highway.