Container yards now used for keeping cars; CPA goes for new sheds
Staff Correspondent, Ctg
The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is now forced to keep imported vehicles in the container yards as the port sheds for vehicles have already been crammed with around 5,000 cars against the capacity of only 2,800. An increase in car import and a comparatively slow delivery rate has led to severe congestion in the port sheds.
The CPA is building a new and larger shed to accommodate imported vehicles and ease the congestion.
In the past, the CPA imposed penal rents several times higher than the normal rate on different occasions to ease congestion of vehicles but that did not ease the situation.
Sources said imported vehicles started overflowing the port since the government lifted restrictions on import of reconditioned vehicles. Vehicles older than four years and with over 1.65 litre engines are allowed to be imported since July 30 last year.
The CPA is now building a larger shed, replacing the existing “A” and “B” sheds, which will be able to accommodate an additional 2,500 vehicles.
The development work began in December last year and is expected to be completed within three to four months more, CPA Secretary Syed Farhad Uddin Chowdhury said.
Alongside the new shed, the authority is also exploring the possibility of setting up a multi-storey car park inside the port, he added.
CPA Terminal Manager Motaher Hossain confessed that the slow rate of delivery is causing the congestion at the port.
“At present, 120 vehicles are delivered from the port on a daily average. Delivery of 250 vehicles a day could have eased this congestion,” he said.
He also added that the ongoing construction of a new shed was also creating a pressure on the two other existing sheds, he said.
Sources allege that the situation has been worsened by importers’ and dealers’ preference to keep the vehicles inside the port, as it is more secure and costs less.
Meanwhile, CPA was ready to impose a penal rent–double the normal amount–on vehicles after the first four-day time limit with effect from January 31 last.
However, the port authority decided not to impose the penalty following a request from Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicle Importers and Dealers Association (Barvida).
Hossain said, “The CPA always tries to cooperate with the traders unless situations force otherwise.” He added that since the development of the new shed would be complete soon and ease the situation, the authority had decided not to go tough on importers at this moment.
The congestion at the port also marked a little improvement with the number of vehicles inside the port coming down to around 4,600 on Saturday last after the figure stood over 5000 over the previous weeks, sources at the CPA said.
Courtesy: thedailystar.net
