ISLAMABAD: Deputy Collector Wajid Zaman said that imports at Islamabad Dry Port are being affected massively due to increase in price of dollar whereas this deficiency will create opportunities for local manufactures and will help them maintain balance between imports and exports.
Deputy Collector Wajid Zaman while exclusively talking to Customs Today said that due to hike in price of dollar, the imports at IDP are affected a lot which may cause revenue shortfall under head of customs duty (CD) as well as sales tax (ST) against assigned revenue target while revenue targets have not yet been assigned to IDP for Fiscal Year 2018-19.
Answering to a query, he said that imposition of regulatory duty (RD) on imports was another initiative of the government to discourage the imports.
He added that IDP also requested Pakistan Railways (PR) to provide proper concrete floor at the examination area, installation of razor wire on height of the walls at East and South sides of dry port and change of outdated machinery (cranes and lifters) on urgent basis. The deputy collector of IDP showed his dissatisfaction on infrastructure provided by PR regarding solving issues of IDP.
He said that cranes are already outdated and that could cause sever accident because current available cranes cannot cater for high loads of containerized cargo.
“The machinery at dry port is old which cannot cater for increase load of containerized cargo, we required modern and state of the art crane/lifters for movement, loading and stacking of containers,” he added.
Telling legality, he pointed out that as per section 14A of the Customs Act of 1969 and elaborated under Customs Rules 2001 (SRO 450(1)2001 chapter XXI, sub-chapter XIV responsibility of terminal operators under CCS, it is responsibility of concerned agency or department which is managing or owning the customs port to provide adequate accommodation at its own cost to customs staff, examination of goods, detention and storage of goods, security of premises and other departmental requirements to be determined by Collector of Customs and the said agency or department shall also pay the utility bills of the premises.
“We are urgently in need of more floodlights at the dry port particularly at the examination area,” he said, adding that IDP critically needed proper concrete floor at the examination area to carry out examination in all weather conditions including raining seasons.
