Bangladeshi customs officials raised the issue at a joint meeting with the Indian customs in Dhaka and demanded immediate withdrawal of the tariff.

The Indian customs officials in reply said the issue needs further examination in New Delhi to withdraw the duty.

The third meeting of the Bangladesh-India Joint Group of Customs also discussed a number of crucial issues including smuggling of petroleum products and the non-tariff barriers imposed by both the governments.

Bangladesh raised the issue of fuel smuggling but the Indian team said the issue should be resolved through discussions between Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and the Border Security Force (BSF) of India.

The Indian team requested Bangladesh to open all the land ports for importing yarn from India but the Bangladesh side sought time for examining the issue.

The joint meeting decided that the customs of the two countries will hold regular field-level meetings apart from deputy commissioner-level meeting every month and a commissioner-level meeting in every six months.

Nasir Uddin, commissioner (valuation) of customs at Benapole land port, lead the seven-member Bangladesh delegation while Suvram Niyam, joint secretary, Ministry of Finance, led the Indian team.

Bangladesh on the first day of the meeting requested India to make specific provisions for submitting bank-endorsed documents for customs clearance to check fraudulent activities by unscrupulous businessmen.