Trade thru' Benapole port suspended

Trade through Benapole land port remained suspended from yesterday as businesses in India's Petrapole refused to send any truck to Bangladesh in a protest to a rise in a fee, which was collected as a tip for the labourers.

However, the trade suspension did not affect passengers' movement through the two ports and loading and unloading activities inside Benapole port.

The clearing and forwarding agents of Benapole port has been collecting the tip at a much higher rate than the amount agreed in a meeting between the representatives of the two ports last week, said Kartik Chandra, general secretary of an association of staffs of the organisations, which use Petrapole port.

“That's why businessmen who use Petrapole port in India stopped doing import and export through Benapole.” 

However, Nasir Uddin, general secretary of Benapole C&F Staff Association, said no extra money had been realised from the Indian trucks.

“We followed the meeting's decision and collected the money at the prescribed rate. The allegation of realising extra money is baseless.”

No truck from India entered Benapole port since yesterday, keeping several thousands of trucks stranded at the entry points of the two ports, said Uttam Chakma, assistant commissioner at Benapole Custom House.