Commercial activities at Hili Land Port at standstil : Five days passed since indefinite strike by Indian traders
Mahidul Islam Ripon, Dinajpur
Due to the indefinite strike called by Indian traders, all types of import and export activities between Bangladesh and India through the Hili land port in Dinajpur have been closed for the fourth consecutive day. This has brought the commercial activities of the port to a standstill. Thousands of workers and employees associated with the port have become unemployed. In addition, traders are fearing major financial losses due to not being able to import and export goods on time.
As of Wednesday afternoon, no decision has been made by Indian traders regarding the withdrawal of the strike or the resumption of import and export of goods through the port. As a result, the chances of normal trade activities being resumed through the Hili land port are low, said the concerned people.
Strike to demand removal of administrative complications - The Hili Exporters and Customs Clearing Agents Association of India has alleged that they are facing various administrative complications and obstacles in conducting trade through the Hili land port of India compared to other land ports in West Bengal. Due to this, traders are lagging behind commercially and facing losses.
The leaders of the organization say that although trade activities are relatively smooth at other land ports, there are allegations of various administrative restrictions and illegal interference in the export of goods to Bangladesh through Hili. After repeatedly submitting applications to resolve these problems and not getting effective remedies, they have been forced to stop exporting all types of goods to Bangladesh since August 30. At the same time, import activities of goods from Bangladesh to India have also been stopped.
Hundreds of trucks carrying goods stuck - Hundreds of trucks carrying goods are stuck inside India and in border areas due to the import-export ban for the past four days. As the goods in these trucks are not able to enter Bangladesh on time, there is concern about various goods, including perishable goods.
Ferdous Rahman, President of the Hili Customs C&F Agents Association of Bangladesh, said, "No news has been received from Indian traders about the opening of the port till Wednesday afternoon. However, I have heard that a meeting is going on in Balurghat in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari till now (5:30 pm). They have not informed us about any decision yet. As trade has been closed for four consecutive days, all the concerned including importers-exporters, C&F agents, transport traders and others using the port are suffering."
Hili Land Port businessman Md. Wahedur Rahman Ripon said, many businessmen have already opened LC. Hundreds of trucks carrying goods are stuck in the Indian part. If the goods do not reach the country on time, the businessmen will face huge financial losses. Therefore, he demanded to quickly solve the administrative problems of the Indian part and resume import and export through the port.
Thousands of unemployed workers - Workers dependent on daily wages are the most affected due to the closure of import and export of goods through the port. Unloading of goods is also suspended as Indian trucks are not allowed to enter.
Those concerned say that if trade is closed for a long time, not only importers and exporters, but also thousands of people directly and indirectly involved with the port, including transport owners, C&F agents, workers, traders, will suffer financially. Therefore, they have demanded that the relevant authorities of the two countries quickly resolve the ongoing complications and resume normal trade activities at the Hili land port.
