|
|
Change Your Life! |
ICD
causing
huge revenue loss |
|
News |
April 19, 2000
Dhaka,
Apr 18 (UNB) – The enhanced capacity of Dhaka’s Inland Container Depot
(ICD) is hardly being used causing huge revenue loss.
Railway
authority expanded the handling capacity of ICD to 90,000 TUEs (Twenty
Equivalent Units) per year from 25,000 TUEs at a cost of Tk 58 crore in
the wake of increasing export and import trade. Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the expanded Dhaka ICD on January 3,
1999. “The
use of Dhaka ICD remained the same although it offers special facilities
for transportation of export-import goods laden containers,” Bangladesh
Railway Joint Director General (Freight Marketing) SK Habibullah told a
seminar here today. Bangladesh
Railway organised the daylong seminar on “The Role of Dhaka ICD in
Container Transportation” to identify the problems of using the ICD and
find out solutions. Communications
Minister Anwar Hossain Manju, State Minister for Communication Mohammad
Anisul Huq Chowdhury, State Minister for Shipping Mofazzal Hossain
Chowdhury Maya, FBCCI president Abdul Awal Mintoo and BGMEA president
Anisur Rahman Sinha addressed the inaugural function chaired by
communications secretary Syed Reazul Hayat. Mintoo
focussed on the problems like lack of regular and adequate container
supply from Chittagong port, delayed transportation and insufficient
handling instruments, and harassment by customs officials at the Dhaka ICD. He
said if the export-import activities that involve container handling and
staffing-unstaffing (loading-unloading) are done centrally at the
Chittagong port, it wastes time and increases transport cost. Moreover,
goods are damaged while remain under open sky before staffing and after
unstaffing, he added. “The
ICD is an essential alternative to eliminate the constraints and reduce
the pressure on the Chittagong port,” said the president of the
Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).
|