KARACHI: Pakistan Customs auctioned 400 containers of banned hazardous plastic scrap including used shopping bags and PVC pipes of sewerage lines instead of dumping them.
Sources said ban is imposed on import of unhygienic plastic scrap but some importers imported consignments of this scrap and tried to clear it through mis-declaration as different collectorates of Customs stopped clearance of these 1600 containers.
Sources said the Supreme Court banned import of dangerous plastic scrap and directed to dump it but Customs Port Qasim Collectorate auctioned 400 containers out of 800 to like-minded parties at a rate of just 31000 per ton; however a few other parties were offering Rs 60000/ton to buy this scrap.
Sources said a big company has approached the court against this auction due to which customs officials are trying to put pressure on buyers of these 400 containers to get their delivery at the earliest.
Sources said customs department imported 400 containers of PVC scrap including used shopping bags and PVC pipes of sewerage lines even import of these consignments was banned under the Import Policy, due to which their clearance was stopped but Port Qasim Collectorate auctioned these containers two months ago to Fahaduddin, Muslim Khan, Abdul Basit, Muhammad Asif, Sheikh Naseem and M/s SRI Enterprise at a rate of Rs 31000/ton.
This PVC scrap is used in Pakistan to make plastic pots and other plastic products due to which the government put a ban on import of this scrap and factories making plastic products from PVC scrap were closed down. But after the new government came to power, these factories once again started production of plastic goods.
PVC scrap import is banned in China and other countries, and Pakistan too imposed ban on its import but importers are importing plastic scrap under the garb of different products and trying to clear these consignments in a planned manner. Customs Dept has blocked 1600 containers of such banned plastic scrap.
Sources said 600 such containers are held at Alhamd Container Terminal Karachi, 800 at QICT while 600 containers are blocked at other private container terminals.
Member Customs should take prompt action against illegal clearance of these banned plastic scrap consignments.
