- There are now about 8to 10 thousand auctionable containers in yard. More than 300 of them are dangerous. These containers contain flammable substances. There are also perishables, which should be destroyed quickly.
Omar Faruq, Secretary, CPA
Chattogram port is in danger with the elements of flammable container sitting idly for many years. Dangerous 334 containers have been lying in the yard of Chattogram port for a long time. Of these, 48 are decomposable, 286 containers are auctionable. Chattogram port is ready to explode for these dangerous containers. So the authorities have to take extra precautions.
Apart from this, the 20-year-old container has been left unopened, creating a mess. The government is deprived of revenue of about Tk 730 crore every year. The Chattogram Port Authority said that the handling activities of the port are also being hampered due to the blockage of containers exceeding the capacity. Therefore, the authorities have approached the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to clear the mess by calling an auction quickly. This information is known from the source of NBR.
According to sources, due to the slowness of the auction process, about 15 to 20 years old containers are also lying at the port. This number is about 8 thousand, which is about 15 to 20 percent of the storage capacity at the port. Apart from this, the government is deprived of about Tk 2 crore of revenue due to excessive container congestion per day. Authorities are talking about the auction as one of the reasons for the confusion. They have sought the opinion of NBR to settle the matter quickly.
Meanwhile, the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) is in trouble with the dangerous 334 container. Due to these dangerous containers, extra security has to be taken. Auction containers are lying across large parts of the yard, hampering the storage of new containers.
In this regard, Chattogram Port Authority Secretary Omar Faruq said that there are now about eight to ten thousand auctionable containers in the yard. More than 300 of them are dangerous. These containers contain flammable substances. There are also perishables, which should be destroyed quickly. Due to this, the authorities have to constantly take extra precautions. Due to these containers, the handling activities of the port are being hampered.
Omar Faruq said this is happening because of the slow pace of auctions. A letter has been sent to Chattogram Custom House and NBR to resolve this mess. Quick steps should also be taken to speed up port operations.
According to port sources, 53 thousand 518 containers can be stored in the yard of Chattogram port. Generally imported goods become auctionable after thirty days. But due to the long tradition of auctions, these auctionable containers have accumulated over the years. If these containers had not fallen idly in there, more than 100,000 TUS containers could have been handled annually which could be beneficial for the revenue of the government.
ZH
