January 27, 2006	Friday	Zilhaj 26, 1426

KARACHI, Jan 26: A consignment of corrugated steel sheets, imported from India for use in manufacturing shelters for quake victims, was finally released and dispatched to the quake-hit areas on Thursday evening.

The consignment of rolled galvanized steel sheets had been held up by the CBR after its arrival at the port several weeks back. It could not make its way out of the port due to discrepancies relating to the levy/exemption of duties and taxes.

A senior official of the Edhi Foundation, Rizwan Edhi, said that an NOC for the release of the consignment had been issued by the authorities concerned last Saturday.

On January 13, a ship carrying 419 tonnes of galvanized sheets from India had anchored at the Karachi port, followed by a second ship with 1,077 tonnes of galvanized sheets which docked at the port five days later.

The cargo imported from India was offloaded but kept lying there since then, he said.

Earlier, the Foundation had sought exemption of excise duty on the relief consignment but the CBR turned down the request. In a letter (C.No 1 (94) STT/94 dated December 27 2005), the CBR said: “CBR regrets its inability to accede to the request in view of the government’s considered policy not to grant any new special exemption.”

Rizwan Edhi said that soon after the October 8 quake, the foundation had purchased over 6,000 iron sheets and pipes from the markets of Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. When the stock exhausted, the prices of such material went up as the markets were left with a little stock of sheets, he said.