The National Logistics Corporation (NLC) had given a great role to enhance the trade and economic activities with neighbouring countries like India, Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics (CARs) by establishing Modern Border Terminals.
"The NLC is establishing four modern Border Terminals at Taftan, Torkham, Wagah and Chaman to facilitate the business community at these important trade links with neighbours", said Corporation''s Marketing Director Brigadier Azhar in the maiden press briefing of the organisation in its 26 year journey.
He said the NLC had earned Rs 750 million as profit during the last fiscal year and it was being expected that the profit would be higher than the previous. Besides its 1,500 state-of-art truck fleet, the NLC was planning to purchase 500 more trucks to increase the cargo carrying capacity, he added.
The Prime Minister to promote the road trade with neighbours and penetrate the markets around had assigned the NLC a task to construct the Modern Border Terminals to facilitate the import and export to neighbouring countries, Brigadier Azhar said.
"Land has been acquired at these points and there would be facilities like heavy duty scanners for cargo scanning, huge truck parking, storage area, warehouses, motels and other recreational facilities," he added.
He said that after 9/11, the US had implemented the Container Security Initiative and no un-scanned container would be allowed to enter its ports.
The government to safeguard the territory from any untoward contraband items and sent checked cargo abroad has decided to install latest and safest scanner system at major entry and exit points. The NLC was asked to install the scanning system for the Central Board of Revenue (CBR), he added.
Scanners were being procured from China for their installation at CFS Niaz Beg, Lahore Dry Port Mughalpura, Chaman, Soost and Wagah, he said, adding that initially, installation of only one scanner was approved as a pilot project at the Port Qasim Karachi.
Chinese firm TC Scan was picked to supply of gamma-ray cargo scanning system that uses 60Co as radiation resource. Ministry of Interior would also install 40 scanners to check the drug smuggling, he said.
In engineering sector, the NLC has developed expertise in designing, construction and rehabilitation and handled number of major construction projects, including road construction and repairs of over 3,000 kilometers, construction of silos for strategic storage of grain with total storage capacity of 2.5 million tons, he added.
He said the NLC was now one of the biggest Public Sector Transportation Organisations in the world. In Dry Cargo operations, commodities like fertiliser, wheat, rice, cotton, sugar were hauled from ports and production sites to consumption centers, he said, adding car carriers were employed to move vehicles across Pakistan.
More than 50 percent of the national crude oil production is transported by the NLC from oilfields to refineries at Karachi and Rawalpindi, he said, adding it employed special carriers to transport liquid chemicals and other products.
He said the NLC was raised on August 6, 1978 to reduce the congestion at Karachi Port resulting in delay of 50 days in shipments and costing government an annual demurrage of 12.5 million dollars. The NLC serves government as the crisis management arm and got Gold Mercury Award.
The NLC, a financially independent multidimensional organisation, employs more than 7,000 personnel and more than 1,500 state-of-art trucks and 500 units of earth moving and construction equipment.
Heads of all NLC departments including Director Services Brigadier Noor Director Construction Brigadier Zulfiqar, Director Transport Brigadier Pirzada and Chief Financial Officer Saeed Rehman were present in the briefing to reply the queries of media men.