External, local business suffering: Transporters’ strike continues
By Aamir Shafaat Khan
KARACHI, Nov 16: A large number of consignments of imported essential items like pulses have been awaiting clearance from the two ports owing to goods transporters’ strike which entered its third consecutive day on Thursday.
Besides, exporters and businessmen estimate Rs16-18 billion per day loss in terms of export and import of goods, raw materials, productions losses, suspension in factory to factory and upcountry movement of goods and raw materials.
Meanwhile, the goods transporters decided to continue their strike as negotiations with the city government officials failed to yield fruitful results on Thursday evening.
The transporters were demanding waiver of parking fee at Mauripur Truck Stand and supply of clean water, reduction in petroleum price, police protection to their transporting goods, and others.
Press coordinator of the Supreme Council of All Karachi Transport Ittehad said that the city government had expressed its inability to meet their demands as they were beyond its authority.
On the other hand, the commodity importers said that three days had already passed and after five days they would have to pay demurrages on imported cargo for non-clearance of their consignments at the rate of Rs650 and Rs1,300 per day for 20ft and 40ft container respectively.
Besides, shipping companies will start charging Rs300 per day per container rent after seven days as penalty. Adviser to Karachi Wholesalers Grocers Association (KWGA) Anis Majeed said that imported consignments of pulses would go to the mills in Karachi and other parts of the country for processing after clearance from the customs.
He said that some 50-75 containers of masur, channa sabut and other items had been waiting for supply to the city and other destinations. Currently, mills might have previous days’ stocks but in case they do not get fresh supplies the city would face shortage, he warned.
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Majyd Aziz said that there had been Rs5 to Rs6 billion per day loss in exports and on imported items including raw material and other things it ranged between Rs10-12 billion per day.“All the exports shipments and arrival of raw materials and other items to the industries have been suspended for the last three days and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz should now intervene to break the deadlock between the city government and the goods transporters,” the KCCI chief demanded.
He termed the demands of the transporters unjustified saying that it was not a big issue as the strike was causing huge losses to external and local trade of the country.
Some 2,000 trucks and trailers carry import and export cargo to and from the twin ports which may face serious situation of huge backlog in case non-clearance of containers.
He urged the government to ask the National Logistic Cell (NLC) to send its drivers for taking over transport goods operations.Site Association of Industry (SAI) chairman Ameen Bandukda said the transportation of as many as Rs1 billion goods of all kinds from the Site area took place every day which unfortunately had been suspended for the last three days.
He urged the city government to help rescue the local and import-export business of the country.
Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) chairman Masood Naqi said that export business from twin ports of the city had suffered loss of Rs3 billion in the last three days due to strike.
He said businessmen would take up the issue with Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad so that export and local trade could be resumed. He added that he had been in touch with City Nazim and goods transporters body but so far no fruitful results had been arrived.
Chairman FB Area Association of Trade and Industry Masroor Ahmed Alvi said that the area comprised of 80 per cent export-oriented industries of knitwear, towel, garments etc., and majority of the exporters had complained over expiry of LCs, suspension in export shipments and delayed arrival of imported raw material in the factories. Even factory to factory movement of raw material movements through containers had also been paralysed. “Some exporters are looking for the option for air shipments but it will cost them too much,” he said.
