KARACHI, July 21: The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has granted permission for the release of held-up consignments of imported cement. The CBR in its order has asked the customs authorities to apply local standards and specifications on the imported Portland cement, which was earlier disallowed to move out of the port for being sub-standard and not in conformity to the local standards and specifications.

However, a question that is being raised by consumers’ bodies is as to why the imported cement was at all held if it was to be released later?

For the earlier decision not to allow release of 60,000 tons imported cement caused huge losses to importers on account of demurrage, port charges and storage charges. Besides, several vessels loaded with cement were diverted by importers to the high seas fearing huge losses in case their consignments were also disallowed for clearance by the customs.

The CBR in an order C. No1(31)Tar.1/90 dated July 15, 2006 addressed to the Collector of Customs (Appraisement), Karachi, and the Collector of Customs Port Muhammad Bin Qasim conveyed its decision asking both the collectorates to release the held-up consignments of cement.

It is perplexing that the CBR authorities, who were not ready to accept standards and specifications for the release of imported cement last month, have suddenly taken a U-turn and are now ready to accept those same specifications. They have even termed the quality of the imported cement better than the Pakistan’s standard PS-3047-1991.The board has taken the decision for releasing the held-up imported cement on the basis of tests confirming the quality of imported cement to be either meeting the standard or even better than the standard PS-3047-1991.

The CBR has clearly mentioned in its order dated July 15, 2006 that the report received from secretary ministry of science and technology has confirmed that according to the results of the tests carried out so far, the quality of the imported cement meets the local standards or is better than that.

It is funnier when the same authority (CBR), which earlier refused to accept any certificate issued by the manufacturers, has now put a condition that for releasing the held-up consignments the importers will have to provide manufacturers’ certificate confirming that the imported cement is blended Portland cement.

The consumers’ bodies are at a loss to know that as to how quick and fast laws and conditions change for holding back consignments or releasing them because only a month back the very same authorities rejected the quality of imported cement and termed it to be sub-standard but now had suddenly approved the same.

The most astonishing fact is that importers, in the process of getting their consignments cleared, furnished these certificates issued by the manufacturers or by the world reputed certification companies. For instance an importer of cement submitted a certificate issued by Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises PTE Ltd confirming that 23,300 tons blended Ordinary Portland cement was shipped on M/V Uthal Navee from Longkou port, China, to Pakistan. Another importer submitted a similar certificate issued by Phoenix Commodities Pvt Ltd confirming that 21,500 tons blended Ordinary Portland cement was shipped on MV ElGreco from Longkou port, China, to Pakistan.

Now the question is when all these conditions laid down by the CBR in its order C. No1(31)Tar.1/90 dated July 15,2006 and all test reports of the public and private labs as well as that of the ministry of science and technology of the imported cements were available at that time, then why the customs authorities and the CBR were not ready to take these facts into account and instead held back the consignments. Another question being asked by consumers’ bodies is that: Has the parameters for judging the quality changed or for that matter the quality of cement has changed with the passage of time?