KARACHI: A goods transport strike that has hit hard to the businesses across the country has entered in its ninth day, hindering the transportation of goods and raw material for the factories, ARY News reported.
Goods’ carriers went on strike last Monday against a ban imposed by the Sindh High Court (SHC) on the movement of heavy vehicles in Karachi during the day. The strike was later intensified with joining of other transport bodies.
About 7,000 to 8,000 containers carrying raw material, imported food and other items travel daily from the Karachi port to Port Qasim, Landhi and Korangi industrial areas — a distance of about 35 kilometres.
Two container terminals of Karachi port i.e. Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT) and Pakistan International Container Terminal have been crowded with containers.
For the last eight days, the import of cargo was being unloaded but no export cargo could be loaded as no containers reached the Karachi port.
The traders bodies have claimed suffering huge losses due to the transport strike. The strike inflicting daily loss of Rs six billion to the country, some traders associations claim.
In the commodity market wholesalers of imported grams and pulses sounded alarm over depleting stocks in Jodia Bazaar ahead of Ramazan as a sizable quantity these commodities is lying at the port due to the strike by goods transporters.
The traders fear serious shortage in case the imported goods remain stuck at the port.
