Container Congestion
CPA wants end to long auction process by customs
The Chittagong Port Authority has again requested the National Board of Revenue for quick disposal of all auctionable and destroyable goods and containers left abandoned in the port for years, officials of the revenue board said. The port authorities alleged that such congestion which was causing mainly due to long auction procedure by the Chittagong Customs House was severely hampering the operational activities of the port.
In last two years, the CPA had requested the revenue board at least for six times to take quick steps to reduce the container jam in the port.
The CPA in a letter in late December requested the NBR to clear up the congestion either through arranging auction or destroy the goods in line with relevant laws and regulations to ease container jam and increase free space for better container handling activities, they said.
The NBR also asked the CCH to dispose the items soon within best possible time through auction, the officials said.
The CCH is arranging auction in every month for clearing but the level of congestion was increasing because of cases remained pending with the courts, they said.
According to latest statistics prepared by the CPA, 15,875 tonnes of items including vehicles, containers and cargos remained waiting for auction till November 30, 2013.
Of the items, 251 cars, 5,396 tonnes of products in 20-feet containers, 2,318 tonnes of products in 40-feet containers, 2,256 tonnes of products in LCL cargos and 5,418 tonnes of products in bulk cargos that remained abandoned in the port yard and sheds were worthy of destruction or auction.
The port authorities hand over the auctionable and destroyable items to the customs in due time but the products are left at the port yard and sheds as customs house and warehouses suffer lack of space.
Of the goods, there are cars and containers which has been auction worthy for at least 15 years, the CPA said in the letter.
In absence of quick clearance of the items, the port is losing container storage capacity. On the other hand, the government is losing revenues as the products are being damaged and losing commercial value due to remaining unaddressed for years, it said.
The container congestion has also become one of the major obstacles in improving the standard of the port in international standard which should immediately removed, the CPA said.
CCH commissioner Masud Sadik told New Age that arranging auction was a continuous process and they were arranging auction in every month for clearing the goods.
But most of the items left abandoned for years mainly due to cases remained pending with the courts and stay order of the court, he said.
In the existing law, the customs authorities can auction products coming by ships within 30 days for various reasons including the products left unclaimed for mainly failing to evade tax.
-With New Age input
