By: Imran Khan
Islamabad: In order to provide relief to importers, whose consignments had got stuck at ports due to regulatory changes & approvals from Ministry of Commerce and Industries, State Bank of Pakistan, PSQC & FBRS, the Chief Collectors will coordinate with terminal operators & shipping lines.
Importers can approach the concerned collectors to get delay & detention certificates to get partial waiver of charges. In case of any issues, the Chief collectors may be contacted.
A letter has been issued to all Collectorates that reads “As a result of issuance of SRO 598(1)/2022 dated 19.05.2022, a large number of consignments were held-up at different ports and land Customs stations across the country. Recently, after the issuance of an Office Memorandum F.No.2(5)/2021-IMP-III dated 22.07.2022 issued by the Ministry of Commerce(MoC), the clearance of such held-up consignments has begun”.
Letter further goes as “these consignments were held up for a long time, therefore heavy demurrages and container charges have accumulated against these shipments at the concerned ports where they were held-up. Consequently, the clearance process of these consignments is extremely slow-paced and the relief given to the traders by the Government is yet to be properly utilized”.
Further, reports have been received that apart from the above mentioned SRO, many other consignments have been held up due to obtaining requisite approvals from different regulators, including MoC, SBP, PSQCA etc.
Therefore, in light of the above, it has been directed that all the concerned Chief Collectors shall coordinate with the relevant port authorities and shipping lines in their jurisdiction and chalk out a strategy so as to extend the maximum possible waiver from delay and detention charges to the traders so that the held-up consignments are cleared at the earliest.
A detailed progress report in the matter shall be submitted to the Board within one week’s time.
