NBR's automation of online management of import-export activities through land and sea ports of the country has not eliminated the server problem. As a result, port user organizations have been deprived of the desired facilities in import-export activities around Chittagong port for a long time.
It is the opinion of all concerned that time delay and server complexity cause financial loss for traders of Chittagong Port and Chittagong Customs House, a revenue collecting institution. The direct loss that traders using the port are talking about is the server problem. It has been going on for almost a century. Now it is more pronounced. As a result, customs clearance and revenue collection of import-export goods through Chittagong Port takes a long time.
On the other hand, Commissioner of Chittagong Customs House, Fakhrul Alam, told Ittefaq that new equipment will be installed to strengthen the server in the automation process of NBR in the coming June-July of this year.
Director of Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BAFA) Chittagong Port Affairs and Director of Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association Khairul Alam Sujan Ittefak said, 'The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has been promising to solve the automation and server problems for many years. But it appears that there is no implementation of this promise. As a result, organizations, organizations or stakeholders using Chittagong port are facing multifaceted complications. Because of this, if we talk about the loss, there is economic loss in it and it can be said that everyone's time is being wasted due to the complexity of the server.
In this regard, Joint Secretary of Chittagong Port-based Bangladesh Clearing Forwarding Agents Association Kazi Mahmud Imam Bilu told Ittefaq that the status of the server is the same as before. As a result, the complications faced by the port users including C&F are buffering, slow movement and frequent shutdowns. Due to these reasons, the day's work cannot be completed during the day. Working hours are wasted. The matters have been intimated to the concerned officers of NBR in phases.
Kazi Bilu also said that the situation has become such that one has to sit in front of the computer for a long time. But the software named 'Asaikuda World' installed for the automation of the country's ports is a world-class application. Due to the weakness and complexity of NBR's central server, government agencies and port stakeholders are able to use only 10 percent of this software. The remaining 90 percent of the facility remains unutilized.
According to experts, it is not possible to use all the modules of this software together due to server complexity. He said that the two suggestions given to the concerned department of NBR to solve this problem include increasing the power of the central server, alternatively setting up multiple servers. It was heard that NBR had taken up a project of Tk 400-500 crore about three-four years ago for server development. But still no positive results are seen.
C&F leader Kazi Mahmud Imam Bilu said that despite the lockdown announced in the country due to the situation of corona infection, the port is operational as an emergency service. As a result, all the stakeholders including the customs house authorities and C&F are working day and night in the import-export activities of the port. He said, the complaint of server slowness has been for a long time. But with this comes complications like frequent server shutdowns.
In this regard, Commissioner of Chittagong Customs House Fakhrul Alam Ittefak also said that new equipment is being installed in June-July this year for the development of automation along with the strengthening of the central server at a cost of about 25/30 crores. The instruments currently on the server are about 12/13 years old.
