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Dry ports termed

'economic gold mines'

KHALID ABBAS SAIF

FAISALABAD: Dry ports are 'economic gold mines' of the country in term of business, employment opportunities and investment hence realistic fine-tuned policies be formulated for the systematic and sustained development of the dry ports and those established in the private sector be fully acknowledged at the national level.

This was stated by Yasin Tahir, outgoing collector of Customs and Central Excise, Faisalabad, who had recently been transferred and posted as collector of Sales Tax, Lahore.

Addressing at a farewell party arranged by the Faisalabad Dry Port Trust for him here on Saturday, Yasin Tahir said that the tax collection departments should adopt a 4-dimensional policy for boosting the collection of government revenue. These administrative parametres require collection of maximum possible revenue, detailing competent staff for tax collection, trade facilitation and welfare of the junior staff.

He said Pakistan was facing a constant economic crisis and to overcome the situation, we should individually and collectively work and tighten our belts to pull out the country from economic morass and thus help the bring bright future of the country.

Tracing the history of the establishment of dry ports in the country Tahir Yasin said that the setting up of these projects in private sector was an uphill task by the CBR authorities and entrepreneurs of the country to arrange huge funds for the establishment of 10 existing dry ports in the country. He said there was a big scope of setting up atleast 10 more dry ports in the country.

Yasin Tahir appreciated the efforts of FDPT Chairman Ch. Mushtaq Ali Cheema, former FDPT Chairman Mian Mohammad Latif, and their colleagues trustees for the establishment of the Faisalabad Dry Port in 1994 which has been emerged as the biggest dry port in the country (business and volume wise) and handles over 2,000 export containers and 200 import cargo containers every month. He said the government is earning a very handsome revenue from Faisalabad Dry Port in shape of Customs Duty, sales tax and other levies. He said that Faisalabad is leading in tax culture and added that the Faisalabad Collectorate of Customs and Central Excise recovered a sum of Rs 530 million out of total arrears of Rs 850 million from Faisalabad during the last two months and not a single "defaulter" has been reported.

The newly appointed Collector of Customs and Central Excise, Faisalabad, Mohammad Ashraf Khan, also spoke on this occasion and lauded the working of the Faisalabad Dry Port. He said that during his one year tenure as additional collector customs, dry port, not a single case of pilferage was reported at Faisalabad Dry Port.

Earlier, Ch. Mushtaq Ali Cheema, in his address of welcome appreciated the efforts of Yasin Tahir, for his keen interest in the development of Faisalabad Dry Port and other dry ports set up in the country.

The FDPT chairman categorically announced that during the tenure of Yasin Tahir, the exporters did not pay a single penalty for settlement of their rebate claims.

He expressed confidence that the new Collector of Custom, Mohammad Ashraf Khan, would follow the footsteps of his predecessors, Yasin Tahir, to settle the custom cases on merit.

Giving a brief history of the achievements of the Faisalabad Dry Port, FDPT Chairman, Ch. Mushtaq Ali Cheema said that during the last 72 months ending on December 31, 1999, the Faisalabad Dry Port trust handled 69,579 export cargo containers, worth rupees Rs 111,310 million while 10,707 import consignments, worth Rs 9,327 million.

He said that during January 200 the dry port handled 1,860 export cargo containers, worth Rs 3,300 million. The Customs dry port sanctioned 28,079 duty draw back claims during the last four years (1995-96 to 1998-99) and issued cheques of Rs 9,075 million to exporters.

In the end, former FDPT Chairman, Mian Mohammad Latif, said that due to strict checking by the Customs and the dry port staff, not a single case of narcotics despatch from this dry port is reported.

He felicitated former collector, Yasin Tahir, for his sustained efforts for increasing the exports and imports at Faisalabad Dry Port and solved the multifarious problems of the local exporters and importers.