Pvt ICD operations remarkably rise
A Correspondent :
The functional operations of the private Inland Container Depots (ICD) have increased remarkably during the current fiscal.
President of Bangladesh Inland Container Depots’ Association (BICDA) Nurul Qayyum Khan told journalists , “100 per cent handling of ready-made garments (RMG) for export is now handled in 16 private ICDs.”
Complete appraising and other procedural functions are now being handled in the private ICDs since Monday last, he said. Earlier, he said, appraising and other procedural functions were carried out at the Customs House only.
The private ICDs are now playing a vital role in the maritime trade of the country, said Qayyum Khan, adding, “We’re handling 100 per cent of containerized export cargo including all RMG cargoes and it is one of the most vital sectors of the country.”
He claimed, “By means of this sector we are playing a vital role in enhancing the GDP.”
The private ICDs are at present providing the receiving, warehousing, consolidation and stuffing of cent per cent services to RMG sector, he claimed. Besides, he informed, 25 per cent of import cargo is presently handled by private ICDs.
Claiming that they could handle all the import cargo in their ICDs, BICDA President demanded to the government for allowing the handling of import cargo in private ICDs at cent per cent.
On permission of the Customs House, the private ICDs are handling 37 items of import cargo including wheat, rice, Mustard, pulse, raw cotton, scrap, waste paper and animal feed, hard coke, carbon black, marble chips, ball clay, onion, ginger, and garlic, fertilizer, soda ash, PVC resin, staple fibre, square log, date palm, sugar, bitumen, empty beverage can, marble stone, sodium Sulphate, wood pulp, steel coil, BP Sheet, GP sheet etc and bagged poly propylene, and poly ethylene containers for delivery to the private ICDs.
The private ICDs are now said to have been suffering from financial constraints. Hence, President of BICDA Nurul Qayyum Khan said, “Non-utilization of capacity for handling of cargo, mostly import item, high rate of bank loan interest and above all, negligence of the government, this most significant sector of the country is now reeling profusely.”
“Out of thousands of import cargo items, the government has allowed these private ICDs to handle only 37 items,” he quipped. Following the imposition of advance income tax (AIT) and duties of essential equipment needed for operation of the container depots, this sector is now on the wane.
He further said the ICD owners have invested Taka 40 billion in this sector where about 10,000 people are directly employed and playing a vital role in building the national economy through maritime trade.
“So, any negative impact on the very existence of the ICD sector will not only hamper the RMG sector of the country, but it would also jeopardize the Chittagong Port and the export-import trade of the country,” he observed. Nurul Qayyum Khan said the present 16 ICDs are handling the ever-increasing container traffic of the country including 37 import items, in bringing about speed and dynamism to the operational activities of Chittagong Port and above all, to the overall economy of the country.
In order to protect this sector from ruination, the BICDA President has called upon the government to give permission to release 100% import FCL containers to the private ICDs as well as to further improve the efficiency of Chittagong Port, to aid implementation of the transit plan of the present government in near future and to keep the ICD sector viable.
At present, a total of 16 ICDs are operating in the private sector since 1995. The ICDs have lamented that all types of container handling equipment and its spare parts are imported with high rate of import duties. Besides, pre-fabricated steel structures are also imported for construction of Container Freight Station (CFS) at a higher rate of duties.
The functional operations of the private Inland Container Depots (ICD) have increased remarkably during the current fiscal.
President of Bangladesh Inland Container Depots’ Association (BICDA) Nurul Qayyum Khan told journalists , “100 per cent handling of ready-made garments (RMG) for export is now handled in 16 private ICDs.”
Complete appraising and other procedural functions are now being handled in the private ICDs since Monday last, he said. Earlier, he said, appraising and other procedural functions were carried out at the Customs House only.
The private ICDs are now playing a vital role in the maritime trade of the country, said Qayyum Khan, adding, “We’re handling 100 per cent of containerized export cargo including all RMG cargoes and it is one of the most vital sectors of the country.”
He claimed, “By means of this sector we are playing a vital role in enhancing the GDP.”
The private ICDs are at present providing the receiving, warehousing, consolidation and stuffing of cent per cent services to RMG sector, he claimed. Besides, he informed, 25 per cent of import cargo is presently handled by private ICDs.
Claiming that they could handle all the import cargo in their ICDs, BICDA President demanded to the government for allowing the handling of import cargo in private ICDs at cent per cent.
On permission of the Customs House, the private ICDs are handling 37 items of import cargo including wheat, rice, Mustard, pulse, raw cotton, scrap, waste paper and animal feed, hard coke, carbon black, marble chips, ball clay, onion, ginger, and garlic, fertilizer, soda ash, PVC resin, staple fibre, square log, date palm, sugar, bitumen, empty beverage can, marble stone, sodium Sulphate, wood pulp, steel coil, BP Sheet, GP sheet etc and bagged poly propylene, and poly ethylene containers for delivery to the private ICDs.
The private ICDs are now said to have been suffering from financial constraints. Hence, President of BICDA Nurul Qayyum Khan said, “Non-utilization of capacity for handling of cargo, mostly import item, high rate of bank loan interest and above all, negligence of the government, this most significant sector of the country is now reeling profusely.”
“Out of thousands of import cargo items, the government has allowed these private ICDs to handle only 37 items,” he quipped. Following the imposition of advance income tax (AIT) and duties of essential equipment needed for operation of the container depots, this sector is now on the wane.
He further said the ICD owners have invested Taka 40 billion in this sector where about 10,000 people are directly employed and playing a vital role in building the national economy through maritime trade.
“So, any negative impact on the very existence of the ICD sector will not only hamper the RMG sector of the country, but it would also jeopardize the Chittagong Port and the export-import trade of the country,” he observed. Nurul Qayyum Khan said the present 16 ICDs are handling the ever-increasing container traffic of the country including 37 import items, in bringing about speed and dynamism to the operational activities of Chittagong Port and above all, to the overall economy of the country.
In order to protect this sector from ruination, the BICDA President has called upon the government to give permission to release 100% import FCL containers to the private ICDs as well as to further improve the efficiency of Chittagong Port, to aid implementation of the transit plan of the present government in near future and to keep the ICD sector viable.
At present, a total of 16 ICDs are operating in the private sector since 1995. The ICDs have lamented that all types of container handling equipment and its spare parts are imported with high rate of import duties. Besides, pre-fabricated steel structures are also imported for construction of Container Freight Station (CFS) at a higher rate of duties.
