Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has urged Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader to suspend enforcement of the axle load control for the month of Ramadan considering the urgency of cargo transport to destinations across the country on a priority basis.
In an urgent letter to the minister, CCCI President Mahbubul Alam said on Saturday 82 per cent of the import and export cargoes are transported to and from the Chattogram port through the Dhaka-Chattogram highway.
Recently, the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry installed two axle load control systems on the highway compelling the six-wheel trucks and other transports to abide by the limit of 13 tonnes of cargo. The newly-introduced system will double the transportation cost of the cargo, which has already cast a negative impact on prices of essentials ahead of Ramadan.
The prices of consumer goods and essential commodities have gone up by Tk 3-4 per kilogram in the local market because of the measure. Since there is no axle load control device installed elsewhere in the country, the businesses of Chattogram region are facing an uneven competition.
