Container seizures cripple supply of goods

Goods Transport Federation and wholesale dealers have protested the seizure of around 1,000 containers, heavy vehicles, trailers and trucks loaded with food items, medicines and dry fruits in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad to deal with four long marches this week. The closure of these containers and trucks has caused dry fruits, fruits, medicines and other essential items loaded in them to start spoiling, raising fears among wholesale dealers that goods worth millions of rupees could be wasted. Container rents have also started increasing. As the continued seizure of containers and heavy vehicles persists, dealers have stopped the supply of goods and parked and hidden containers and heavy vehicles in far-flung areas. Fearing the seizure of containers and heavy vehicles, the arrival of heavy goods transport in wholesale markets of Rawalpindi and Islamabad has stopped, creating a shortage of vegetables, fruits and grocery items. If the situation continues for the next 72 hours, vegetables, fruits, pulses, sugar and flour brought from other districts will start becoming scarce and more expensive. Supplies of all kinds of food and essential items from Karachi, Faisalabad and Sargodha to Rawalpindi and Islamabad have been suspended. The heavy presence of containers at Faizabad, Rawat and within the city has also begun affecting supplies of sugar, flour, vegetables and fruits to other districts. The seizure of containers has also left thousands of workers involved in loading and unloading goods without work. Wholesale Dealers Association Vice President Sajid Khan said that after the seizure of containers, their owners had stopped supplies of vegetables, fruits, meat and milk from Quetta, Karachi and Faisalabad to Rawalpindi and Islamabad. He demanded that the government immediately stop the seizure of the nearly 1,000 containers, vehicles and trucks and allow the vegetables, fruits and dry fruits loaded in the seized vehicles to be unloaded so that they do not spoil. He said the goods would start rotting and become unfit for consumption if they remained inside sealed containers for 72 hours. He also demanded that more containers carrying food items be allowed to enter the twin cities, even if they were checked at sale points, warning that otherwise prices could increase by another 100 per cent by the end of the week and a shortage of essential items could develop. Meanwhile, the Goods Transport Association has sent letters to the prime minister and Punjab chief minister protesting the seizure of containers and vehicles and demanding their immediate release. Goods Transport Federation Vice President Haji Iqbal said, "On the one hand, we are being ruined by petrol and diesel prices, and now our containers and vehicles have also been seized. Where should we go? Our businesses have been ruined for the past three years and now we have no option except to bring the goods transport system to a halt."