KARACHI: No major incidents of pilferage or missing of containers were reported during the past year since the installation of tracking system on Afghan Transit Trade (ATT), said an official report.

Around 45,000 containers were tracked by installing security instruments, such as CSD (container security device) and Prime Mover Device (fixed on truck and inter-linked with CSD).

In the past, many scandals were reported about large number of missing ATT containers, most of them alleged to have never crossed the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and were either unloaded within the city jurisdiction or elsewhere in the country.

The trade and industry had been complaining about rising incidents of smuggling through ATT which was damaging the domestic industry and import trade originated through official channels.

However, official sources said the first year’s performance of tracking ATT cargo (containers) through sensitive devices had been satisfactory, and the industry was now urging to expand the system to other trades, including transshipment and export trade of the country.

Though tracking of the ATT is being carried out by a private company, the collector preventive is heading the project.

The system works on real-time basis and in case of any deviation in the set route by the prime mover (truck), central or regional control rooms can monitor and trace it.

Around 3,990 (9.13 per cent) cases were recorded on basis of route deviation during the period.

However, the unusual stoppage remained on higher side and stood at around 35,107 or 80.3pc of total trips. The drivers of prime movers (trucks) have yet to understand the value of timely delivery of goods in Pakistan and they have to be educated about modern era challenges of timely delivery, an official said.

Undoubtedly, the central and regional control rooms of the tracking company also recorded door alerts which were around 4,509 or 10.31pc of total ATT containers.

There were around 92 major incidents of pilferages, but the official claimed that all were recovered and performance remained 100pc.

The official said there is an urgent need that more companies should be engaged in the tracking system of cargo so that smuggling and missing of containers could be checked.

The entire export cargo and transshipment cargo, Nato and reverse cargo (coming back from Afghanistan) also need to be tracked.

Published in Dawn, August 1st , 2014