LAHORE: Like other areas of the city, torrential rains have played havoc with already insufficient infrastructure at the Lahore Dry Port; bring business activities to a grinding halt.
The Mughalpura Dry Port and Thokar Niaz Baig Dry Port have faced devastation to their already underdeveloped infrastructure due to the recent heavy rains. The dry ports have been inundated in rainwater putting all business activities to a standstill.
An official at the Mughalpura Dry Port told Customs Today that the port authorities are not opening containers for the safety of goods.
He said that the staff has been trying to solve the problems which traders and clearing agents were facing due to heavy rains. “Transportation activities have also been stopped as rainwater inundated the roads leading to dry port which are already under construction,” he added.
“It will take two to three days to siphon off the water from dry ports,” he said adding that the ports were adding huge revenue to the national exchequer but authorities were ignoring infrastructure development at dry ports.
An official said that no proper water drainage system is available to the drain out rainwater from the port.
Lahore Customs Clearing Agents Association President Agha Iftikhar said that all the three dry ports have badly damaged by the rains and every type of business activities has suspended there.
“Rainwater has seeped through roofs of Mughalpura Dry Port buildings, damaging import/export goods,” he said.
He said that as the port authorities were not opening the containers and traders have to pay additional cost for these extra days at dry ports.
He urged the authorities to take measures to resume the port operations as soon as possible.
