PESHAWAR, Feb 28: Commercial exporters have expressed reservations over what they call unreasonable increase in terminal handling charges by various shipping and forwarding companies and demanded immediate intervention of the government.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday, Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, executive member of the All Pakistan Commercial Exporters’ Association, said shipping companies had increased their charges that had augmented the cost of exports.

He said that it was the need of the hour that the federal government should constitute a committee comprising people from the business community to work out a plan of action for curtailing undue increase in the charges.

Mr Sarhadi expressed dismay over the shortage of railway wagons for importing goods and demanded that immediate action be taken regarding it.

He explained that the railways department was responsible for supplying import goods from the Karachi seaport to other cities in the country.

He said that, however, the department was providing only a limited number of wagons that was causing delays of weeks in the transportation of goods.