India’s cement traders threatened to halt imports of cement from Pakistan via the Attar-Wagah land route unless a considerable hike in storage charges is rescinded.
The Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) announced a rise in storage charges from the current INR20/t to INR100/t from 1 October 2013, according to the traders.
Traders under the banner of the Confederation of International Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CICCI), in a letter to LPAI, sought withdrawal of the price rise 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.
The traders have been seeking an improvement in existing infrastructure with paved and cemented platforms and additional storage space and repair of godowns.
But, shockingly, nothing was done and, now, the exorbitant tariff increase will definitely kill the trade," they told Business Standard.
