Customs and dry ports: 'issues to be resolved after consultation with all stakeholders'

Issues relating to customs and dry ports will be resolved with proper consultation of all stakeholders, as it is our national duty to remove the concerns of the business community for smooth running of industry.
Collector of Customs Lahore Khwaja Umer Mehdi stated this while addressing the members of FPCCI Regional Standing Committee for Customs and Port/Dry Ports and other business community from across the province in a meeting held at the FPCCI regional office here on Thursday.
Chairman of the standing committee for Customs and Port/Dry Ports Aftab Ahmad Vohra was aalso present on the occasion. Collector Customs further said that Lahore Customs Department is ready for 24 hours to listen the industry relating problems and is being made efforts to resolve the issues within a limited time. In this regard all the pending and new cases will be entertained properly in the premises of law. As we consider the industry as backbone for the progress of any country, he added.
Regional Chairman Muhammad Tariq Shafi and Chaudhry Aamer Ata Bajwa Vice President FPCCI said that main purpose of setting up of the dry ports is to facilitate the local industry so that business community could get release their goods without any difficulty.
There is huge difference in evaluation at Lahore and Karachi Dry Ports and this discrimination act shouuld be abolished, they added. They further said due to unavailability of railway engines, business community is facing severe problems to getting their goods. In this regard Customs and Railway departments should play their active role and assure the availability of railway engines and couches after mutual consultation.
While highlighting the concerns they said customs clearance procedure at Lahore Customs is very slow and it takes three to four days usually and if any kind of dispute arises then there is no time limit. Most of imports of poultry feed additives and poultry machinery are subject to either total exemption or confessional rates of custom duty/taxes thereon.
But unfortunately it is observed that the Collectorate in Lahore is not ready to give the rightful duty benefit to poultry industry and will try to use denying tactics. They further added that At Wagha border terminal, NLC is granted contract to handle all cargo arrangements.
It is observed that NLC is charging irrational and highly exorbitant handling charges. In this regard, a committee comprising Railways, NLC, banks, FPCCI and clearing agents may be constituted to examine the rates. They said the terrorism and energy crisis are main menace for our economy while unhealthy decisions in this regard are resulting major damage to our social activities.
The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce believes in collective consultation so that problems might be solved with communal approach and in the current scenario relief may be given to the business community, they maintained. Iftikhar Ali Malik Vice President Saarc CCI said the core objective to establish government departments is to facilitate the public and they should be fully aware with their responsibilities so that departments should play their active role.
This is the only way to overcome our problems. Business community always respects the laws and pay taxes regularly so the strategy to harass the community must be abolished, he said. Aftab Ahmad Vohra suggested that a strong liaison between Customs and FPCCI should be strengthened. And also the co-ordination among Government departments must be established on solid grounds.
The meeting was also attended by Additional Collector Customs Zeba, prominent industrialists like Manzoor Malik, Zahid Saeed, Khawaja Khawar Rashid, Sheikh Jamil Mehboob Magoon, Tahir Malik and Anwaar A. Sheikh.