MULTAN: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been asked to take immediate measures for speedy cargo clearance and avoid losses to trade and industry. South Punjab Customs Agents Association (SPCAA) on Tuesday raised difficulties of the trade and industry due to rising dwell time of cargoes at terminals.
In a statement the Association expressed concerns over the alarming situation of delays in clearance of cargos of import and exports at all the terminals. The terminals are taking extra time for grounding of containers and arranging the cargo for the examination that is causing an increase in the cost of doing business in the shape of heavy container detention charges and port storage/demurrage which are being charged in US Dollar and the same amount is remitting by the terminal operators and shipping companies to their principal offices.
They further informed Customs Today that dwell time was also increasing due to shortage of handling equipment, skilled labor and even terminal tariffs were different. The association said that theft, pilferage and damage cases are being reported regularly inside the premises of terminals / off-dock terminals, as there is no proper mechanism to compensate the trade in case of any loss.
All terminals are licensed to facilitate the trade under terminal rules specified in Licensing Rule, 2001 promulgated through SRO 450(I)/2001 are not being complied in its true spirit, which is causing hardship in the cargo clearance. The association also informed the FBR that difficulties faced by the trade were discussed with terminal operators on various occasions but no fruitful results had been achieved.
