Asks him to take up demurrages & detention charges issue on priority basis
LAHORE: Importers welcoming the newly made member customs operation Tariq Huda have urged him to take up the burning issue of demurrages and detention due to which the import business has all but confronted with tough time in the history of the country.
Importers and business leaders including LCCI former vice president and Friends of Economic and Business Reforms (FEBR) Kashif Anwer and PALIMA (Pakistan Artificial Leather Importers & Merchants Association) chairman Faheem Ur Rehman Saighol have said that the member customs Tariq Huda is known as one of the dynamic officers of the customs service and had been working for the promotion of trade and industry throughout his service.
They said that the new member customs defiantly has the understanding of the importers hardships due to the Covid-19 and will defiantly take up the issue of detention and demurrages with the private port terminal authorities and the shipping lines. They said that due to Covid-19 the cash flows of businesses are badly affected putting industrial as well as commercial importers to face intense cash crunch.
“After Covid-19 outbreak worldwide governments have announced far-reaching bailout package to save trade and industry. The governments including India persuaded the port and shipping lines to exempt importers and exporters from detention and demurrages charges until the cash flows get to the normal,” they said adding that it very unfortunate that in case of Pakistan, the importers have not been extended any relief on account of demurrages and detention despite numerous requests and lapse of more than three weeks. They hoped the member customs operation in larger national interest would take to action against all those port terminals and shipping lines that have been defying the state’s directives.
“Your immediate action will save us from financial burden and help us in running our businesses smoothly. The whole business community is looking at your timely earliest decision,” they said.
“We also request you to refund the demurrage, detention and other charges to those importers who have paid them to clear their consignments during this period of lockdown,” they said. “The commercial and industrial importers due to the closures of factories and markets have been facing huge financial burden and cannot pay the huge detention and demurrage charges. In view of the lockdown government can be the only facilitator for the business community to help them in curtailing their losses in these hard times.
We request you, on behalf of the all industrial and commercial importers, to take penal action against those companies which are not implementing the directives of the government,” they said. These are the testing times worldwide and the governments estimating the severity of the situation have provided relief to the importers by waiving demurrages and detention and charges, they said hoping that the Member Customs Traiq Huda will go extra mile to ensure demurrages and detention relief for the importers of the country unless the COVID-19 crisis meet their logical end.
