There are countless cars lying around the port, no answer at the auction

Numerous imported reconditioned vehicles have been in the Mongla port for a long time. Although the port authorities started the auction process, there was no response. As a result, a mountain of vehicles is being created in the port. Customs authorities are blaming lawsuits filed by importers for this situation.

Said the Revenue Assistant of the Mongla Customs House (ARO). Mohid Riyadh told the Bengali Tribune that more than 200 car importers use the Mongla port. According to the rules, imported vehicles are listed for government auctions if they are not authorized within 30 days of arrival at the port. Later, the customs authorities auctioned it off to collect customs and revenue.

In the last year until March of this year, 5,753 reconditioned cars of different brands were auctioned. Of these, only six car buyers have been able to get discounts, he said.

In addition, 50 cars were auctioned in March this year. Of these, only two vehicle bids were submitted, but none were released.

The deputy revenue officer further said: “Buyers are not interested in buying cars at auction due to demands from importers.”

When asked about this, Abdul Haque, president of the Bangladesh Refurbished Vehicle Importers and Dealers Association (Barbida), told the Bengali Tribune: Perhaps suing is a fundamental and constitutional right. I don’t want to comment on this.

However, the Mongla Customs Commissioner. Hossain Ahmed told the Bengali Tribune: “We have spoken with the National Revenue Board (NBR). We will solve this problem through an inter-ministerial meeting.”

According to port sources, due to the short distance to the capital, vehicles imported into the country since 2009 are unloaded through the port of Mongla. As of Monday (October 19), a total of one lakh 23,819 vehicles have been imported through this port in the last 9 years. As such, 80 percent of the total vehicles imported into the country pass through the port of Mongla.

Traffic Inspector of the Mongla Port Authority. Jahangir Alam told the Bangla Tribune: “There are 3,024 vehicles in different sheds and yards in our port. Currently, there are about 2,600 vehicles on the auction list. These cars can be auctioned. Of which 485 vehicles were imported between 2011 and 2015.