MULTAN: The Multan Dry Port Trust has raised handling charges for export consignments aimed at generating more revenues. It is the only dry port for the services of local importers and exporters in southern Punjab.
The Multan Dry Port is already facing crisis of less import as a large number of importer prefer Karachi ports for clearance of their import consignments. The local importers and exporters have already been switched to Karachi for the clearance of import and export consignments due to high fare charges from Karachi to Multan.
Multan Dry Port has the tremendous multi-mode facilities and infrastructure to ensure smooth flow of goods and supplies to generate a chain of economic activities in southern Punjab.
Multan Dry Port Trust is not looking serious in supporting the efforts of the Multan customs for making it first preference for the local importers and exporters due to their unfriendly polices. Multan Dry Port is already facing a big challenge in the shape high freight paid by the importers of the region for the clearance of their consignment.
Collector Customs is consistently convincing importers of the region to utilize Multan Dry Port for clearance of their import and export through Multan Dry Port. The volume of the container traffic is also continuously decreasing at the Multan Dry Port due to their poor administrative control on the MDPT. The exporters are expecting more facilities from the government for the promotion of export but MDPT have raised their handling charges. While those exporters who are doing their export through Multan Dry Port have severe concerns over the increase in the freight charges of export consignments.
MDPT authorities have raised the container handling charges from Rs.800 to Rs.1000 per container handling charges.
Multan Dry Port Trust is facing financial crisis and they are unable to meet their monthly expenses due to which they have decided to raise the handling charges of export consignment. The export charges were increased by Multan Dry Port Trust by using their optional rules for the generation of more revenues. There is one of the serious threats that increase in handling charges will shift existing exporters from Multan to Karachi.
Customs seems powerless in restraining MDPT from increasing their handling charges because they are the private body and Multan possibly will not reversed their decisions .
