Close on heels of reports that maintained Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) has been overwhelmed in face of increasing volume of air shipment of apparel items, Salman F. Rahman, who is Adviser to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on private industry and investment, paid a surprise visit to HSIA to take stock of things.
Media reports maintained this while adding that during his visit, Salman F. Rahman expressed his dissatisfaction with the airport authorities over their failure in fixing the damaged Explosive Detection System (EDS) used during the export of goods by air — four EDS machines are said to be malfunctioning at the HSIA thereby slowing down exports of goods — even as he maintained major European buyers, especially C&A, Inditex Group, and H&M, had complained of not getting their products on time, while adding that domestic traders had also made the same complaint, which is why he had decided to visit the Airport Cargo Village himself.
According to media reports, Officials of HSIA, Biman Bangladesh Airlines and leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) were present during Salman F. Rahman’s visit, which was followed by a press conference, in which the Adviser to the Prime Minister on private industry and investment, informed the pressmen that after inspection it was clear that due to negligence of the authorities in fixing the machines, exports were being hampered even as a meeting is supposed to be held soon with the Aviation Ministry in this regard.
