Burimari land port loses Tk 1cr revenue every month

Rangpur:The government is losing at least Tk one crore revenue a month at Burimari land port, the largest one in northern districts, due to lack of proper infrastructure facilities, customs sources said.

Clearing and Forwarding (C&F) agents, in connivance with a section of corrupt customs officials, often make false declaration about imports and evade duty, taking the advantage of lack of modern weight machines and other equipment vital for checking goods, warehouse and other facilities including banking, they said.

The government now earns around Tk four crore revenue a month from the port, which can be easily raised to between Tk 5 to 6 crore if these facilities are created at the port, they said.

Burimari customs station is situated near the Bangladesh-India border, 6 kms from Pathgram upzila in Lalmonirhat district.

It was opened in 1988 to promote trade with India, Bhutan, and Napal.

The government purchased six acres of land in

Burimari in 1990 to build a customs office equipped with a

warehouse, modern equipment and other facilities. But no initiative has been taken yet to develop the land port.

The Assistant Commissioner of Customs at Burimari

station said a Tk 10 corer project is awaiting NBR (National Board of Revenue) approval. Work on development of the port can be started if the project is approved, he added.

Talking to this correspondent during a recent visit, some customs sources even claimed that a section of C&F agents always tries to influence high-ups in the government so that the project is not approved because this will stop tax evasion and other undue advantages enjoyed by them now.

An accommodation rented from a C&F agent is now being used as a warehouse.

Consignments from India, Bhutan and Nepal are now unloaded at private depots of C&F agents, said a Customs Inspector seeking anonymity. Indian trucks with imported goods go straight to the C&F agents' depots without any weighing or screening.

"So the C&F agents get scope to influence officials to do corruption", he said.

Other sources claimed that there is an old weight machine at the port but it is not being used for several years.

The Customs Inspector however denied this. "It often goes out of order and is mended by local technicians. It is operating now", he said.

But other sources claimed that in the last several months they did not see the weight machine being used.

There is no bank at the port. The C&F agents are to run about 10 kms to make payment. This also gives rise to corruption.

Recently, some C&F agents placed fake treasury bills of about Tk 70. A cheating case was filed with Pathgram police station.

The C&F agents obtained bail from the High Court.

A customs official admitted this and said such things could be checked had there been a bank at the land port.