The customs sub-committee on scanning of the export cargo has proposed five dollars and seven dollars for screening of a 20-foot container and 40-foot container respectively.
At a meeting of the committee, held last week under the chairmanship of Customs Collector of Exports Javed Kazi, all the stakeholders, including the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), were advised to suggest the charge which should not burden the exporters.
The committee rejected a proposal to charge 50 dollars for scanning prevalent in Saudi Arabia, and said the example of the countries, having similar economic standards like Pakistan, should be emulated.
The charges would be approved by the committee, headed by the Communications Minister.
The contract for the installation of six scanners - four at the Karachi Port (KP) and two at the Port Qasim (PQ) - has been given to the National Logistic Cell (NLC). The customs staff, after getting necessary training, would operate the scanners.
Containers, scanned by the machines, would be sent to a security area where they would be detained for 24 hours before loading on to the vessel. The detention would be aimed at ensuring that the boxes have no explosives.
The scanners, due to become operative by the end of December, are being acquired from China and two of these are due to arrive in the country soon.
The site for installation of the scanners at the PQ has been approved, while the Ministry has yet to give approval for the sites identified by the committee at the KPT.