For those who haven’t entered the port area yet, it is important to know that you must hold a valid access pass, issued by the Mauritius Ports Authority (MPA) against a payment of Rs10.
There are a few police check points in the port (shown above) where police officers usually stop vehicles to verify if they hold a valid pass. I said “usually” because as you can imagine, it can be painful to stand on the road side all day long, under a hot and burning sun!
In order to get a Pass Card, you have to go to the MPA office, queue up for a few mins (80% of time), hand your Identity Card to the officer there who will write down your personal details and your destination (in the port) into a log book as well as in a piece of card, shown below.
I always said to myself, this job got to be pretty painful. Writing all those names, ID number, vehicle plate number and destination in 2 places, all day long… This process needs to be computerized at some time or other…
And they finally did it!
Today, to my surprise, the guy did not write anything 😛
He checked my ID card, typed the name or number into a computer.
***rolling drums**
He read my vehicle plate number and my usual destination from the computer screen and asked me if they were correct.
“Yes!” and the system printed a small access pass 🙂
Ah, la technologie, il était temps! 😛
Perhaps in the future, it will be even more easier with electronic ID cards. One thing for sure, it gonna take less time than before… Well, the first days or weeks might be a bit tough for the existing staff to adapt to the new system.
This post won’t probably mean anything to 99.9% of you dear readers, but Mauritius is moving forward, slowly.
[Link to Google Map overview of the Port Area]
Yashvinblogs 
Nice! 🙂
I have a 1 year pass… (courtesy of CEB). 😉
You missed one of the checkpoints, the one before the roundabout (near cemetery). 🙂
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@Carrot : Thanks! Mo al add sa la.
(ofet mo pas trop kone lot coter since tout le temps mo passe par rond point kot ICAC la.)
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hey hey hey. computerization…
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ene ti zistoire – ene zour dans 1 ti zil, ti ena ene piti ki pa fine alle mpa mais ine alle direct kot checkpoint kot la police man la dire li rentrer, fer contour et realle kot mpa office pou tire ticket. b piti la ine rentrer et ine endan, ine alle fer tou sa ki li ti bizin fer kot perrinne warehouse si pa comment apel sa, apres li sorti sans probleme. banne police men la zote souvan cachiete dans 1 ti lacaz et zote pas mind si ene dimoune “rentrer endans sans ticket pou fer contour.”
mo contant ki tou plus facile. astere moriciens bizin plaigner ki p encore charge cash pou ticket. bizin gratis sa!
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I knw i had to take pass..But were surprised when they did not give it me..coz we were from the media. It’s written LM on our car. Though we were not reporters…so next time we went in a car where nothing is written.!!!!
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I hear more computerisation is on the way for other bodies and ministries in the coming months…
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Nice to see progress at the MPA! Sometimes these police officers at certain point in time, do not even check the incoming vehicles. But it must be rare I suppose.
Some checkpoints inside the port area are inoperational. enfin have neva seen officers there.
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I know how it is there because I was on my internship @ MPA headquarters for 2 months and I’m aware of all these access passes, etc and it was really a tiring work when it was manually operated. Now thanks that it has been computerised.
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Question is: What in the world u go to the Port?? sa ans la paret pli important ki to article 😀
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