Malodour fouls local air

Chittagong Customs' initiative of disposing of perishable goods, which have been left abandoned by importers for years, yesterday faced locals' agitation amid complaints of contaminating the area with obnoxious odour.

Disposing of goods started on Monday. Yesterday morning, a group of some 200 locals first took to the streets in Patenga 15 no Ghat area chanting slogans through a loudspeaker against the initiative.

At least 3,000 people reside in Bijoynagar 15 no Ghat area where the abandoned goods were being burnt. On Monday, a pungent odour spread along two square kilometres of the area making it difficult for the locals, especially children, to breathe, a local ward councillor Saleh Ahmed told The Daily Star yesterday.

However, the intensity of odour reduced when the customs officials started to destroy fruits in a 30-foot deep pit using more kerosene and bleaching powder among other chemicals, said customs officials.

The officials managed to destroy 13 containers of fish and fruits yesterday after assuring the locals of shifting the place for disposal soon, said Arefin Jewel, additional deputy commissioner (port) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police.

Nearly 2,000 tonnes of goods, including onion, ginger and garlic, which were brought in refrigerated containers between 2010 and 2016, will be destroyed to increase the capacity of the port.