Chairman of the Container Transport Vehicle Owners Association, Sanath Manjula, said the situation has been exacerbated by the absence of an efficient system for container clearance. He noted that there has been a severe delay in unloading imported containers at the Port of Colombo and in carrying out inspections at container yards located outside the port.
He further said that congestion has also been reported at the Orugodawatte container yard, causing significant inconvenience to container truck drivers who are forced to wait for extended periods.
The association warned that the situation is likely to worsen next month, as a large number of containers are scheduled to arrive in the country. As a temporary measure, it has urged the government to take immediate steps to minimise the congestion, including the possible deployment of security forces to manage operations and traffic flow.
However, responding to the concerns, Customs Director and Media Spokesperson Chandana Punchihewa stated that while there is some congestion in container clearance activities at present, it is a normal situation and is being managed accordingly.
