Amritsar, August 19: The trade between India and Pakistan though the Integrated Check Post (ICP), Attari, has resumed after the intervention of Union Home Ministry, ending a stand-off between traders and the Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC).
Since August 9, the trade was halted after traders protested against “undue” labour charges and damages imposed by the CWC, appointed as a custodian of the ICP by the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI).
The ICP Trade Action Group alleged that a multi-crore scam could be unearthed if the Centre ordered a probe into the CWC’s operations and got its accounts audited from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. On August 8, the CWC had increased the rate of cargo handling (labour) charges by up to 120 per cent. The LPAI, however, reversed the decision the next day.
Rajdeep Uppal, a senior functionary of the Confederation of International Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CICCI), said Rajya Sabha member Shwait Malik spoke to Union Minister of State for Home Kiran Rijiju, on whose directions LPAI member (finance) CV Parsad held a meeting with traders to redress their concerns.
“A new SoP (system of procedure) panel will be formed, comprising stakeholders such as the LPAI, CWC, customs and BSF, to check unreasonable charges and difficulties at the port,” he said.
Importers were bound to engage labour through a contractor appointed by the CWC. The manual labour charges at ICP are the highest in the region.
At other ports, the loading and unloading charges vary between Rs 2 and Rs 3 per bag. But the CWC charges Rs 7 per bag and, later, revised the rate to Rs 8.50.
The labour charges for soda ash were Rs 8 per bag. After the hike, the rate was Rs 16.95. The cargo labour charges for importing cement were raised from Rs 4,800 to Rs 10,480 per truck.
Cement importer MPS Chattha said, “The irony is traders are forced to pay labour charges even if there is no requirement of labourers.”
News Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com
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