Three of the four scanners at Dhaka’s Shahjalal airport are broken, worries exporters
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Three of the four Explosive Detection Systems (EDS) scanners at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport have malfunctioned. This has created a major crisis in export activities. Traders in the export sector have complained that there is a delay in the scanning and clearance of export products as only one scanner is operational at present.
People involved in the sector say that due to the Iran war, the pressure of air exports has increased to meet the deadlines of international buyers and brands. In between, the scanner-crisis has further complicated the situation.
বিজ্ঞাপন
When asked about this, Shahjalal Airport Executive Director SM Ragib Samad told Prothom Alo today that two scanners have been broken for more than 1 year. Another scanner suffered a technical glitch last month. Trying to repair the faulty scanner. It may be operational by May 25.
He admitted that due to the scanner-crisis there has been some pressure to scan export products. At the same time, he said, the scanning process has been kept on using alternative system. About 820 tons of export products were scanned and sent abroad on Sunday.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Senior Vice President of Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BAFA) Syed Md. Bakhtiyar told Prothom Alo that three out of the four EDS scanners are broken and there are many problems in the export of products. There is a rush for whose products will be scanned first and who will be scanned later. Many times the flight is missed due to not being able to get the scanning done on time. He claimed that extra pressure is being created to send products abroad as the scanning machine is broken. Some unscrupulous officers are claiming unethical benefits using this opportunity.
Related sources say that currently 400 to 800 tons of goods are being brought to Shahjalal Airport every day, most of which are sent to the European Union and the United States. During the busy season, the volume of these products increases to about 1,200 tons per day. Again, if the export demand is less, this amount comes down to 200 to 250 tons. Apart from the products, now various seasonal fruits including mango, jackfruit are being exported to different countries. They also need to be scanned. If the scanners are not activated soon, the traders will face a big problem in exporting products and fruits.
Airport sources say that EDS scanning is mandatory for exporting goods to European Union countries. On the other hand, products from destinations outside Europe, including the Middle East and Africa, are checked through ‘Non-RA3’ scanners. Out of six such scanners, three are operational, one is broken and two are temporarily closed. Airport authorities have stepped up the use of Explosive Detection Dog (EDD) squads to deal with the situation.
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