Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed has categorically said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will take decision on the release of around 500 cars stranded for a long time in Mongla and Chittagong seaports.
The cars were stuck in legal complexities that prevented the vehicles from being released so far.
“We have already received recommendation from the Prime Minister’s Office for the release of the cars,” the minister told a group of reporters.
Earlier, a committee headed by the principal secretary of Prime Minister’s Office was formed to make recommendations for the stranded vehicles.
The minister said the committee recommended either realising fine for their release or put them up for auction.
“The premier will take decision on it,” said Tofail.
He said the government will not take any decision which may be referred to as an example in future.
Md Abdul Hamid Sharif, general secretary of Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicle importer and Dealers Association, told the Dhaka Tribune those stranded cars belong to re-conditioned car importers.
The cars remained stranded for a long time in Mongla and Chittagong Ports, which would be worth not more than Tk60 crore and most of them are stranded in Mongla Port due to discrepancies in the import documents, he said.
In December last year, the importers despite having clean import documents could not deliver reconditioned vehicles worth Tk500 core from ports due to continuous blockades and hartals across the country.
There was a target to import 13,000 vehicles in 2013, but the total import stood up to 7,000 by the end of the year, according to the Barvida data.
