TOPLINE According to regulations, enterprises importing building materials that want to be cleared must be allowed by the Department of Construction. However, due to the Department’s isolation to prevent the epidemic, goods were blocked at the port.
KEY POINTS
- Many companies are having difficulties opening customs declaration forms, especially imported construction materials. It is due to the social distances measure taken by the Department of Construction in HCM City.
- The Department of Construction in HCM city has instructed firms to hand in forms indirectly but staff shortage in the pandemic could not handle all the work in time, which caused this delay.
ARTICLE
A representative of an aluminum bar importing business said that it was difficult to open customs declaration forms due to the social distance implemented by the Department of Construction in Ho Chi Minh City. The firm could not complete procedures for temporary release of goods at Da Nang port, because it is headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City. Specifically, the company has 9 containers of goods at the port, causes excessive cost (up to 1 million VND/cont for storing at port).
“The goods have been stuck at the port for nearly half a month. They cannot be transported to the warehouse”, he said.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has caused many difficulties for businesses. I hope the Department of Construction will be flexible, thus facilitating us to receive goods”.
An ASA Company Leader, which specializes in importing interior decoration products, also expected the Department of Construction to release clear information to the firms and make a solution for importers to transport the goods to the warehouses. This will aim to reduce costs incurred at the port.
Previously, to ensure the flow of materials and the businesses through Covid-19 period, from July 15, the Department of Construction in Ho Chi Minh City announced that they would not receive and return results directly at the headquarters. People submit documents via the postal service or put into the receiving box at the gate.
Then, the Department by procedures will check, confirm the forms which are legal and send them back to the registered address. At the same time, notify the receipt of dossiers via the email provided by the firms.
However, according to the Director of the Department of Construction – Mr. Tran Hoang Quan, because of human resources shortage during Covid-19 pandemic, they could not handle the work in time. Therefore, that caused the delay in processing documents which led to the congestion at port.
Phan Quyen
Read more: How are import and export goods cleared when Ho Chi Minh City is isolated?
