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NWFP exporters slam tariff hike by Railways

Iqbal Khattak

Peshawar: The trading community of the Frontier province has hit out at increase in containers tariff for export purpose by the Pakistan Railways, saying the hike will have negative effect on traders of the small provinces.

"Our traders will not be able to compete with their counterparts in other provinces because of the increase in the Railways tariffs," Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi, member, SCCI standing committee on Railways and dry port, said in a statement issued on Saturday.

The Railways, according to Zia, increased Rs 2,000 for the 40-ft container to transport export goods from Peshawar to Karachi since February 15. "This will hit the Frontier exporters badly."

"Because of the locational disadvantage the Railways, in the past, used to offer concessional rates for transportation of goods. The increase will now add to the Frontier exporters problems," he said.

"There is always no free bogeys to transport export goods to Karachi for onward journey," Zia said.

He said: "The Railways authorities ignore Frontier traders with the result that export goods from Peshawar do not reach Karachi on time, which causes great losses to the exporters."

He regretted that the Railways introduced special cargo trains from Sialkot, Faisalabad and Lahore to help export goods reach Karachi well on time. "But Peshawar is not treated fairly."

"It takes weeks when goods from Peshawar reach Karachi. International clients hate late arrival of goods. Often they refuse to receive goods that reach them quite late," Zia Sarhadi added.

He proposed that the Frontier exporters' goods should first be taken to Lahore for onward journey to Karachi. "This is what we believe is the best possible solution," he added.

He called upon the government to ask the Railways to withdraw tariff increase and facilitate NWFP traders.