Requisition of vehicles takes toll on RMG export
BGMEA tells Ctg police
Staff Correspondent, Ctg
BGMEA leaders yesterday asked Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) not to requisition vehicles that are on export duty, saying such harassment by the police is taking toll on export of readymade garments. The BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association) leaders made the request at a meeting with CMP Commissioner Mazedul Haque at the association's regional office with its Vice President MA Salam in the chair. The vehicles engaged in emergency RMG exports with BGMEA stickers often face unwanted requisition by the traffic police at different points of the city, although the CMP had earlier agreed not to make any requisition of such vehicles. Such requisition is really hampering garment exports, the BGMEA leaders alleged. The RMG unit owners sometimes face problems to get back their vehicles from police and hence they urged the police commissioner to keep vehicles that carry RMG out of requisition. MA Salam alleged police used to requisition trucks, covered vans and other transports, which carry export-import cargo under recognised 'bond transfer', and the garment owners or their representatives had to face harassment to release these vehicles and cargos. "Such requisition often delays production and hampers export, much to the frustration of garment manufacturers," he alleged asking the police commissioner not to detain the vehicles. The BGMEA leaders also expressed grave concern at the alarming rise of murder, robbery, mugging and other crimes in the port city and requested the police to check the crime spree. "In last few days, a total of eight murders took place in the city while the number of robbery was more than 10 in which over Tk 50 lakh was looted. This scenario also made our foreign buyers concerned," Salam said. Citing another example, he said the executive director of AL Falah Fashion Apparels, Mohsin Riasat Sobhan, was killed a few days ago but police are yet to find any clue to the murder. CMP commissioner expressed sympathy and assured garment unit owners of his full cooperation to solve the existing problems. "We will soon find out a mechanism to combat the criminal activities as well as ensure uninterrupted production at RMG units," he said. BGMEA leaders Khalilur Rahman, SM Fazlul Haque, Ershad Ullah and Mahbub Ali and all deputy commissioners of CMP also addressed the meeting.
| 
