CCH starts destroying perished goods piled up at Ctg port
NAZIMMUDDIN SHYAMOL | Tuesday, 15 November 2022
CHATTOGRAM, Nov 14: The Chittagong Customs House (CCH) on Monday started destroying damaged and rotten goods in abandoned containers on the jetties of Chittagong Port as the importers for a long time did not take delivery of the shipments by paying taxes within the stipulated time.
CCH officials said the demolition started at 11am at a large space at North Halishahar near the Chittagong Port.
They said food items and other perishable goods, loaded in 382 containers which have been lying on jetties and the port yard for months, and some of those for years, will be destroyed in phases mainly to ease container congestion at the port.
Earlier, a special committee formed by the authority and tasked with taking decision in this regard, held a meeting in the port city on August 29 last and announced that such goods piled up in containers at the port would be demolished in phases from November 14.
According to the decision announced by the committee that the shipments brought in 73 containers from different countries by the importers would be demolished in the first phase as the goods have been completely rotten.
Such goods, loaded in 20 containers were destroyed on Monday at the empty space at Chowdhury Para adjacent to the Bay-Terminal, sources at the CCH and Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) said.
Sources said, the containers remained piled up on jetties and yards of the port for months and some of the shipments for years as the CCH and CPA did not release the cargoes for nonpayment of taxes by the importers and shippers despite the extension of scheduled time for taking delivery of the goods multiple times by the concerned authority following pleas made by them.
Despite repeated time extension by the CCH, a good many importers even declined to take delivery of the goods by furnishing documents at the customs house for months, and even years, a CCH official said, adding the goods started perishing after lying in the 382 containers at the port for a long time.
These containers are loaded with ginger, betel nut, dates, seeds, fishes and other perishable items and food products, he mentioned.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of CCH Muhammad Mahfuz Alam said, they started destroying the perishable items on Monday morning. Such goods loaded in 20 containers were destroyed this morning, according to the official.