ISLAMABAD, March 2: The Committee on Transport of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has found all the 12 dry ports in Pakistan as having ‘little potential’.

The Committee also found that out the Asia and the Pacific region has a total of 234 dry ports, out of which only 109 have the potential. Dry ports of eight regional countries, including 34 in India, were also found to be not ‘potential’. All the 17 dry ports in China, 8 dry ports in Myanmar, 5 in the Philippines, and 2 in Sri Lanka have been described as ‘potential’.

Out of 19, Turkey has 17 potential dry ports; Russia has 10 potential out of 15 dry ports; Iran 5 out of 9; Bhutan 5 out of 6; Bangladesh 9 out of 17 and Azerbaijan 10 out of 18.

The twelve customs dry ports in Pakistan are located in Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta, Gilgit-Baltistan, Peshawar, Lahore, Multan, Kasur and Sialkot.

In view of the current state of dry ports in the region, the committee has drafted an ‘intergovernmental agreement on dry ports in Asia and the Pacific region which is to be signed next month to develop guiding principles for the development and operation of dry ports of international importance for harmonisation and facilitation of inter-modal transport, a United Nations report did not find the twelve dry ports in Pakistan as “potential”.

The report of the Committee on Transport which finalised the draft intergovernmental agreement on dry ports for the annual session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) opening in Bangkok on April 25, the report reviewed performance of dry ports in 27 countries and found 125 not having ‘potential’. The report, however, did not elaborate its term ‘potential’.

The draft intergovernmental agreement provides for bringing all the regional dry ports into conformity with the guiding principles for the development and operation of dry ports. The basic functions of dry ports should include handling, storage and regulatory inspection of goods moving in international trade and the execution of applicable customs control and formalities. Additional functions of dry ports should include receipt and dispatch, consolidation and distribution, warehousing and transshipment.

The inter-governmental agreement on dry ports is in line with the implementation of the ‘Bangkok Declaration on Transport Development in Asia’, and expected increase in international goods transport as a consequence of growing international trade in the ongoing process of globalisation.

The ESCAP report says that it is essential to develop dry ports of international importance to the requirement of international transport and to reduce the adverse impact of transport on the environment in order to strengthen relations and promote international trade among the regional countries.

A working group on dry ports will be established by ESCAP to consider implementation of the agreement. The group consisting of all member countries the regional commission would also be empowered to bring any amendment to the guiding principles.

In pursuance of the guiding principles, countries will initiate institutional, administrative and regulatory frameworks that are favourable to the development and smooth operation of dry ports, including procedures for regulatory inspection and the execution of applicable customs control and formalities in line with the national laws and regulations.

Under the new guidelines, dry ports should be developed with adequate capacity and layout to allow for the secure and smooth flow of container, cargoes and vehicles within and through the dry port and to make provision for expansion of capacity, as appropriate, taking into account the modes of transport served, the requirements of the users of the dry port and expected future container and cargo volumes.