• Imported rice to be cleared in 4 hrs.; notes 300 staff cadre shortfall

The Customs announced plans to enhance its container yard capacity and extend working hours to address cargo traffic issues at the Colombo Port to improve efficiency and speed up the clearance of essential goods, including rice imports.  

Speaking at a press conference held yesterday (5), Customs Spokesperson Seevali Arukgoda said that the Government had approved a new container clearance yard in Kerawalapitiya. 

“Currently, the Customs has only three container clearance terminals, which were built over 15 years ago. They are RTC, Grayline One, and Grayline Two. A block of land was proposed in Kerawalapitiya to establish a new yard, but the project was delayed due to various reasons. Following a recent meeting with the President, the Government has greenlit it, and we hope to proceed with the work soon,” he said.  

Arukgoda also announced the opening of the ‘Asian Container Yard’ next week that is expected to ease congestion and speed up container clearance. “The clearance process needs to be faster, especially with the Government’s decision to import rice,” he noted. 

To further address congestion, he said that the operational hours of the Grayline 01 and Grayline 02 yards have been extended until midnight. “Previously, only the RTC yard operated 24 hours in all the seven days primarily for essential goods like food and medicine. To improve efficiency, the other two yards are now operational until 12 a.m.,” Arukgoda explained.  

He also revealed that the Customs has implemented a plan to clear imported rice containers within four hours and that it is in coordination with the food inspection officers and other relevant authorities, to streamline the process.  

Addressing human resource-related challenges, Arukgoda highlighted that the institution faces a significant shortage of employees. “The Customs is supposed to have 3,000 employees, but we currently have only 2,000. Over the last three months, we are in the process of recruiting 700 new staff members, but, we will still have a shortfall of 300 employees. This staffing issue affects the efficiency of our operations,” he said.