Plight of importers at Kamalapur ICD
Saturday, 3 July 2010
Jasim Uddin Haroon
The distance between Chittagong and Singapore is 1,530 nautical miles (nearly 3,000 kilometres) and that between Chittagong and Dhaka is around 360 kilometres.
A container carrying goods can reach Chittagong from Singapore within four to five days, but it takes one month or more for the container to arrive at Kamalapur in Dhaka.
This surprising fact was revealed when a number of importers visited the city's Inland Container Depot (ICD) to search for their goods, mainly electronics, Thursday afternoon.
But they alleged that a container laden with imported goods takes only two days to reach the ICD from Chittagong if they (importers) bribe Tk 20,000 for each container.
Port officials, however, said the delay in arriving containers heading for Dhaka ICD is due to lack of railway wagons.
As of Thursday, a total of 1,300 containers lay stranded at the Chittagong port. Railway wagons carry around 100 containers a day.
Ashraful Islam, an importer of electronics, told the FE: "My imported goods has remained stuck at Chittagong port since June 1."
Meanwhile Motaher Hossain, a deputy terminal manager of ICD, said: "The trade volume has increased at the ICD manifold in more than two decades but the railway did not widen its capacity to accommodate the increasing trade."
Khairul Bashar, general secretary of Dhaka Customs Clearing and Forwarding Agents Association, said that they had to wait for at least one month to get containers from Chittagong port.
"But interestingly, an importer receives consignment faster than expected if he gives bribe to a section of dishonest port officials," he said.
Refuting the allegations of the customs agents, Mosior Rahman, terminal manager of Chittagong port, said: "We give priority to the goods earmarked for the embassies or such consignments."
However, customs agents said they did not get any assistance from the authorities concerned even after observing work abstention many times.
"We've written to the ministers concerned describing our plight but with no result as yet," said Khairul Bashar.
In the meantime, many importers are now taking delivery of their goods from Chittagong port following inordinate delay at the ICD.
The distance between Chittagong and Singapore is 1,530 nautical miles (nearly 3,000 kilometres) and that between Chittagong and Dhaka is around 360 kilometres.
A container carrying goods can reach Chittagong from Singapore within four to five days, but it takes one month or more for the container to arrive at Kamalapur in Dhaka.
This surprising fact was revealed when a number of importers visited the city's Inland Container Depot (ICD) to search for their goods, mainly electronics, Thursday afternoon.
But they alleged that a container laden with imported goods takes only two days to reach the ICD from Chittagong if they (importers) bribe Tk 20,000 for each container.
Port officials, however, said the delay in arriving containers heading for Dhaka ICD is due to lack of railway wagons.
As of Thursday, a total of 1,300 containers lay stranded at the Chittagong port. Railway wagons carry around 100 containers a day.
Ashraful Islam, an importer of electronics, told the FE: "My imported goods has remained stuck at Chittagong port since June 1."
Meanwhile Motaher Hossain, a deputy terminal manager of ICD, said: "The trade volume has increased at the ICD manifold in more than two decades but the railway did not widen its capacity to accommodate the increasing trade."
Khairul Bashar, general secretary of Dhaka Customs Clearing and Forwarding Agents Association, said that they had to wait for at least one month to get containers from Chittagong port.
"But interestingly, an importer receives consignment faster than expected if he gives bribe to a section of dishonest port officials," he said.
Refuting the allegations of the customs agents, Mosior Rahman, terminal manager of Chittagong port, said: "We give priority to the goods earmarked for the embassies or such consignments."
However, customs agents said they did not get any assistance from the authorities concerned even after observing work abstention many times.
"We've written to the ministers concerned describing our plight but with no result as yet," said Khairul Bashar.
In the meantime, many importers are now taking delivery of their goods from Chittagong port following inordinate delay at the ICD.