Karachi Port cuts free halt of containers from 7 to 5 days

Karachi: The free period has been reduced from seven to five days from Thursday (June 1). According to a circular issued here on May 31, Karachi Port Trust (KPT) informed all the port users about this change, which became effective from June 1.

Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Managing Committee member and former Vice-Chairman of Pakistan Ship Agents Association Rasheed Abro has criticised the move as unfriendly to the end users.

He said that even seven days were not enough for the clearance of containers. Further reduction in the time period to five days would make the process more cumbersome and difficult for the port users, he said.

He said that the port users might have to pay demurrage up to four or five days as the clearance of containers took time in clearance. This extra amount paid as demurrage to the KPT would naturally be recovered from end users making the commodities costly, he said.

Abro said at a time when the Federal Government, at all levels, was endeavouring to contain increasing trend witnessed in the prices of commodities, the KPT's move amounted to sabotaging the government efforts.

While the high government functionaries were busy assuring the nation that efforts were being made to reduce the burden of the common man, who was groaning under the pressure of sky rocketing prices, the KPT had come up with a decision which would derail the government's efforts, he said.

Even the Prime Minister, he said, had assured that the forthcoming budget would be peoples-friendly and an effort was being made to ensure that the problems and difficulties being faced by people were redressed.

Abro drew the attention of the Prime Minister to this development, and appealed that instead of reducing the free period, it should allow more time to save the port users from paying demurrage and recovering the same from ultimate consumers.