Ctg customs to auction off abandoned food items, chemicals
Taking note of last month's catastrophic blast in Beirut port, customs authorities in Bangladesh have started auctioning off around 278 tonnes of chemicals and food items lying unclaimed at the Chattogram port since 2008.
The explosion on August 4 that ripped through the Lebanese city killed about 190 people. The authorities said it was caused by about 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been stacked in unsafe conditions in a port warehouse for years.
This has prompted the Chattogram port and trade bodies in Bangladesh to write to customs seeking removal of all hazardous goods left unclaimed at the port.
The goods now up for sale include artificial wax which is derived from petroleum, antiseptic hand sanitiser which contains flammable alcohol, disinfectant liquids and phosphoric acid.
Customs law stipulates taking delivery of goods within 45 days of those reaching the port, defaulting on which results in those being set aside for auction.
Goods might be left unclaimed for a fall in prices in local markets, absence of original shipment documents, clearances and permits and refusal to pay fines, Faisal Bin Rahman, assistant commissioner at Chattogram Customs House, told The Daily Star.
Chattogram Customs House started accepting bids from last Monday. Over 50 bidders have responded since then.
"There is good response from bidders as the quality of the goods were in good condition.
After the end of the auction process, we would be able to publish names of the top bidders and hand over the goods within a short time," said Rahman.
Chattogram port data shows around 8,699 containers filled with over 100 types of goods have been lying abandoned and awaiting auction since January 2015 up to July this year.
Mostly from China, India, Australia and Singapore, the goods include commodities, cosmetics, chemicals, plastics, automobiles, electronic and leather goods, construction materials, tiles and ceramics, according to data collected from the National Board of Revenue and Chattogram customs.
"If the imported goods do not get delivered within the stipulated time, we send the information of these products to the auction branch of customs," said Md Zafar Alam, member (administration and planning) at Chittagong Port Authority.
"Although the port is responsible for maintaining the goods, it is the responsibility of the customs authorities to auction those off or destroy those," he said.
On why it was taking so long to hold auctions, customs officials said most of them were performing roles of multiple posts for an acute shortage of manpower.
The customs house has only 597 employees whereas an estimate of the 1980s recommended that there should be 1,248.
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