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By Poojathmi Rivithma
Colombo, January 14 (Daily Mirror) - In response to ongoing delays at the Colombo Port, the Sri Lanka Customs has introduced a special programme aimed to accelerate container clearance.
Customs Media Spokesman Seevali Arukgoda said in a release that the programme was launched on the instructions of the President.
A total of 459 containers were cleared, including 242 containers that underwent inspection and were released from the RCT, Greyline 1 and Greyline 2 yards yesterday.
While Customs has the capacity to process around 500 containers daily, a shortage of clearing agents and lorry drivers has led to slower clearance rates, according to authorities.
Meanwhile, 496 containers remained at the port awaiting clearance, despite door permits already being issued. These containers are yet to undergo inspection at the designated yards this morning.
Compounding the situation, an additional 603 containers that had been cleared by Customs are still sitting uncollected at the port.
Accordingly, the lack of collection by importers and their agents is contributing to significant storage challenges and congestion within the port terminals.
To tackle these issues, Sri Lanka Customs, along with other relevant state agencies, is continuing operations today, despite it being a public holiday.
The ongoing efforts are focused on expediting the container clearance process and alleviating the pressure on storage capacity.
Authorities have stated that the initiative is crucial to reducing the backlog, easing congestion and improving the efficiency of port operations.