Six more import items to be shifted to private inland depots

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has ordered the authorities concerned to move six more import items from Chattogram port to 19 private Inland Container Depots (ICD) to reduce container congestion at the port.

The items are ─ all types of seeds, fibre, listed products of the Directorate General of Drug Administration, thread for garments manufacturers, tyre cords, and pesticides.

Previously, 38 kinds of imported products were transported to inland container depots from the Chattogram Goods Port Yard.

The NBR also ordered that the products that had earlier been shifted to Kamalapur ICD by rail now be moved to the Summit Alliance Port Ltd in Muktarpur of Munshiganj using the waterways.

The order will remain effective till June 30.

Md Omar Faruq, secretary of the Chattogram Port Authority, said, "Six more imported goods, as well as 38 other imported items, will be transported to the private inland container depot soon. Besides, the Kamalapur ICD-bound products will be taken to Summit's terminal through the waterways. The container congestion at the port will be reduced because of this decision."

Ruhul Amin Shikder, secretary general of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association, said, "We have got the order to move six new imported items to the inland depots. The order is being implemented."

Chattogram port is facing a problem of container congestion because import containers are not being delivered due to the ongoing lockdown. A meeting led by the Chattogram divisional commissioner was held in Chattogram Circuit House on April 14 to solve the crisis. The chairman of the port authority and representatives from other organisations which use the port gave their suggestions at the meeting. The port authority made some recommendations to the shipping ministry. Then the shipping ministry requested the revenue board to take steps to ease the container congestion.

Kamalapur ICD can accommodate 4,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of import containers. As there is no more space left in Kamalapur ICD, the transportation of import containers there has almost stopped. Earlier, six imported goods-laden trains travelled to Kamalapur every day.