Traders threaten to stop cement import over storage rate hike

Traders today threatened to halt import of cement from Pakistan via the Attar-Wagah land route unless a "hefty" hike in storage charges was rolled back.
The Land Port Authority of India (LPAI), which takes care of storage of import and export commodities at the Integrated Check Post, has announced a hike in storage charges from the current Rs 20 per tonne to Rs 100 per tonne from October 1, traders said.
Traders under the banner of the Confederation of International Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CICCI), in a letter to LPAI, sought withdrawal of the hike in order to "save bilateral trade between India and Pakistan through Attari-Wagah land route".

"This unilateral hike will substantially impact trade and render it uneconomical," said CICCI official, Ashok Sethi.
Cement traders have issued a call for halting of cement imports beginning next week in protest against the proposed hike, said Sethi.
The traders have for the last 18 months been seeking an improvement in the existing infrastructure with paved and cemented platforms and additional storage space and repair of godowns, they said.
"But, shockingly, nothing was done and, now, the exorbitant tariff increase will definitely kill the trade," they said.