According to the figures available from the CPT, during April and May, Calcutta and Haldia dock together handled 51.49 lakh tonnes of cargo against 44.81 lakh tonnes of the previous year marking a growth of 14.9 per cent.In the corresponding period of 1997-98, the two ports together handled only 40.37 lakhs tonnes. It means that the current year has registered a growth of 27.54 per cent over that two months of 1997-98.

However, growth in the cargo traffic was higher in Calcutta Dock System (CDS) compared to Haldia Dock Complex (HDC). During the period under consideration, CDS handled 15.77 lakh tonnes against last year's 13.14 lakh tonnes, recording a growth of 20.01 per cent.

In HDC, the growth was 12.79 per cent. In the first two months of 1998-99 ,it handled 31.67 lakh tonnes compared to 35.72 lakh tonnes of the current year.

An observer noted that this growth is not just due to the growth of petroleum products but the traffic of other items also increased.

"The reason behind this growth cannot be attributed to any particular item. Instead there has been a steady growth both in the petroleum cargo and also in the business products like sugar, coal and iron and steel" the observer added.

At HDC, movement of liquid crude petroleum increased by 49.1 per cent. It went up from 8.90 lakh tonnes in 1998-99 to 13.27 lakh tonnes.

However, in the petroleum products sector, there has been a fall of around 6.3 per cent. CDS handled 4.10 lakh tonnes this year against 3.53 lakh tonnes of the previous year, registering a growth of 16.15 per cent but at HDC it dropped from 7.76 lakh tonnes to 6.41 lakh tonnes a fall of 17.4 per cent.

CDS scored a 104 per cent increase in the vegetable oil cargo. In the first two months of 1998-99, it handled 50,000 tonnesand in the current year, 1999-2000, it was 1,02,000 tonnes.

Sugar was another major product handled by the Calcutta Port Trust. This year it already witnessed a sugar traffic of 91,000 tonnes compared 12,000 tonnes in last year, registering a growth of 658.33 per cent. However, most of this sugar, around 73,000 tonnes landed at the Haldia dock.

At the CDS, movement of iron and steel cargo also witnessed a 147.05 per cent, when it went up from 17,000 tonnes to 42,000 tonnes. Movement of log and timber, however, registered a fall of 17.39 per cent from 46,000 tonnes to 38,000 tonnes.