The Chattogram customs authorities has as soon as more extended the permission for importers to rob supply of 38 styles of imported items, including meals products specified by the Nationwide Board of Income, from both the Chattogram port and non-public inland container depots (ICDs).
This permission, granted on the ask of the Clearing and Forwarding (C&F) Agents Association, will now be actual for one other three months from 1 October to 31 December, Khairul Basar, deputy commissioner of the Chattogram Customized Condominium, told The Trade New.
Under this dedication, importers can decide to rob supply of ICD-certain items both from the Chattogram port or the 19 non-public ICDs located in the residence.
ICD residence owners, alternatively, contain expressed considerations that this dual supply protection will lead to container congestion and disrupt the customary operations of the port.
They claimed that no varied predominant port on the planet follows a tool the keep items and containers are delivered right faraway from the port yard.
Essentially essentially based on Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (Bicda), 23% of items imported through Chattogram port could well simply soundless be delivered from ICDs. Nevertheless, below essentially the most as a lot as the moment protection, more than 50% of ICD-certain items are being unloaded straight away at the port. The 19 ICDs collectively contend with over 220,000 import containers yearly.
Bicda leaders expressed frustration with the customs authorities, noting that entrepreneurs contain invested approximately Tk6,000 crore in the ICDs, which present jobs for round 20,000 eternal and non eternal workers. They claimed that the dual supply protection undermines the funding and reason of the ICDs.
Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary customary of Bicda, mentioned that in 2017, a representative of the US Cruise Guard directed that all deliveries be eradicated from the Chittagong port yard as part of World Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code implementation.
Ruhul additionally criticised the customs authorities for no longer consulting with stakeholders sooner than making decisions.
“Within the previous, conferences were held with Bicda and varied events to win strategies. Now, these permissions are granted unilaterally, essentially essentially essentially based completely on capabilities from the C&F Agents Association,” he added.
On the assorted hand, Kazi Mahmud Imam Bilu, secretary customary of the Chattogram C&F Agents Association, defended the protection, claiming that importers in most cases desire to rob supply from the port on myth of it’ll rob time to transfer containers from the port to the ICDs for unloading.
“In such circumstances, importers receive it more ambiance pleasant to win their items right faraway from the port,” he mentioned.
In Chattogram, the 19 non-public ICDs—in most cases usually known as off-docks—contend with approximately 95% of export shipments, as neatly as 38 styles of imported items, including essentially the most well-known meals objects love rice, wheat, mustard seeds, chickpeas, pulses, and scraps.
The ICDs were established to nick encourage congestion at the port by providing an different region for unloading and delivering chunky container loads (FCL).
