RAWALPINDI, Oct 3: The National Logistics Corporation (NLC) serves as a crisis management arm of the government to handle and diffuse logistics emergencies besides being involved in the execution of mega projects.

This was stated by Director Marketing of NLC Brig Syed Azhar Raza at a press briefing here on Monday.

He said NLC was a multidimensional organization which employed 7,000 personnel and was on way to become the best logistics services provider in Asia.

“The NLC is now concentrating on opening up trade routes to the Central Asian Republics,” he added.

The NLC is redesigning its operations to enhance its efficiency, cost effectiveness and profitability, he said, adding that the corporation was using state-of-the-art equipment to improve the security and safe passage of consignments.

He said the government frequently employed NLC to handle emergency situations such as during commodity shortages, natural calamities and transporters’ strikes.

Over 50 per cent of crude oil is transported by NLC from oil fields to refineries at Karachi and Rawalpindi, Brig Azhar said.

He said the corporation was also involved in the construction of highways, roads, bridges and flyovers and in the development of housing colonies in various cities besides establishing sewerage, water supply and irrigation system.

It has played an important role in the promotion of dry ports in the country and it exclusively operates the Karachi and Hyderabad dry ports, he said, adding that National Logistics Corporation had additional detachments at Lahore, Sialkot, Multan, Faislabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar to meet the requirements of the business community.

Brig Azhar said they were establishing container scanners on behalf of the CBR at ports and all border entry points of the country to facilitate customers to conduct their business without difficulties in the post-9/11 security paradigm.