The Ministry of Ports and Shipping will recommend to the Ministry of Commerce and the Federal Board of Revenue to immediately constitute a "Regulatory Authority" to rationalise and standardise the Freight Charges of Ports and Shipping Lines and remove the grievances of Stake-Holders with mutual discussion.
This was stated by Federal Secretary Ports and Shipping while addressing the Members of Pakistan Dry Ports Association at Faisalabad Dry Port Plaza.
He told that after the formation of Shipping Regulatory Authority, the complaints about unrealistic and exorbitant freight charges of the Sea Ports will be taken up by the Authority which would be competent enough to issue warning to the concerned Port.
He also agreed with the suggestion of Pakistan Dry Ports Association about the constitution of an Advisory Committee at Ministerial Level and inclusion of a nominee of the PDPA in this Committee.
In his welcome address, Sheikh Ashfaq Ahmed, Chairman, Faisalabad Dry Port Trust had presented a number of suggestion on behalf of the Pakistan Dry Port Association which included, the simplification of the Transhipment Permit (TP), acceptance of authenticity of measurement certificates issued by Dry Port, unification of Sea Ports charges, establishment of empty container yards by shipping lines at dry ports, acceptance of bank guarantee and waiver of placement charges by shipping lines, uniformity in import trade price, elimination of dual service charges at Sea Ports, rationalisation of D.O. Charges, stoppage of House B/L issued by Forwarders on behalf of Shipping Lines, abolition of Kot Sabzal Check Post and end to lengthy procedure for amendment in Export / Import Documents. Regarding Custom related problems, Sheikh Ashfaq demanded partial import loading at Karachi, customs blocking if inevitable should be at upcountry dry ports instead of Karachi.
The Secretary, Ministry of Ports and Shipping assured that all the suggestions of Pakistan Dry Ports Association will be thoroughly debated in the next meeting of the Working Group to be held at Karachi within a fortnight. He told that all the stake-holders including PDPA representative, Chairman of Dry Ports, Prominent Forwarders, Shipping Lines and the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry would be invited to attend this meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Muhammad Saleem Khan, Secretary (Ports and Shipping) and attended by Aslam Hayat, Joint Secretary P&S, Agha Zafar Mehdi, Director General, TDAP, Ministry of Commerce, Sheikh Ashfaq Ahmed, Chairman, FDPT, Captain Zahid, Regional Chief PNSC, Saud Imran, Additional Collector Customs, Mr Cyrus, General Manager, QICT, Niaz Ali Jasser, Traffice Manager KPT, Javed Saeed Sheikh, Cargo Operation Manager Port Qasim Authority, Major Javed Mussart, G. M. Multan Dry Port, Nasar Hayat, G.M.Faisalabad Dry Port, Shahzad Munir Ahmed, Secretary, Sialkot Dry Port Trust, Colonel Pervaiz Akhtar, G.M.Admin NLC Dry Ports, M.Yaqub , A. M. of PNSC.
Later, the participants of the Meeting visited the operation area of the Faisalabad Dry Port and expressed their satisfaction over working of this Dry Port.