All Pakistan Customs Agents Association (APCAA) has stressed upon the need of cargo rail service for safe transportation of goods and revival of loss earning Pakistan Railways.
In a letter sent to the Prime Minster Imran Khan and federal minister for railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, Arshad Jamal, chairman supreme council APCAA said that the role of dry ports and railway have increased manifold especially after CPEC because neither the terminals nor city is capable of managing the transportation of import and export consignments with current dilapidated road infrastructure.
He said that during last two decades, the past governments remained more interested to transport import and export consignments through road network despite cargo snatching, en-route offloading of containers and other unlawful activities that caused severe financial shocks to the kitty and traders as well.
This is the high time to realise the significance of cargo rail as main transportation system to avert such incidents and ensure safe cargo movement; he said and added that the volume of import and exports consignments were presently roaming around 5000 containers per day and the Pakistan railways had complete infrastructure from ports to customs stations across the country for inward and outward cargos movement.
Furthermore Arshad said that if Pakistan Railways only transported transhipment cargos from Karachi to other dry ports, it would earn millions of rupees on monthly basis and termed cargo rail service as the only viable solution for reviving this loss earning public entity instead of taking controversial decision of offering investors to utilise railways' land for commercial purposes.
He said that APCAA as the biggest revenue generating segment in service sector assured full support and offer its assistance to promote rail cargo as major transportation system for the business community and also requested the PM and minister railways to take APCAA on board for the implementation of rail cargo service.