Import and export of goods through the Hili land port in Dinajpur has dropped considerably since India started repairing work on the Farakka Barrage on Dec 4.

“Earlier, on an average, 200-250 trucks carrying goods crossed the port daily, which now has dropped to 100-120 trucks per day,” port’s Public Relations Officer Sohrab Hossain told Bangla Tribune.

According to Hossain, the government incurs a loss of nearly half a million taka per day due to drop in trade.

Lightweight goods including onions are still being imported through Hili port.

“Earlier around 60-70 -round carrying onions entered Bangladesh daily. But now the number of trucks decreased to 25 to 30 per day,” said Bablur Rahman, who imports onions.

Rahman, however, is hopeful that trade will become normal after the barrage repair work ends.

Indian traders stopped exporting stones, which were sanctioned for the ongoing development projects across Bangladesh including Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and Padma Bridge project.

“Previously around 150-170 trucks carrying stones crossed the port daily, which now dropped to 25 to 30 trucks per day,” said Harun Ur Rashid Harun, who is the president of Hili land port Importer-Exporter Association.

Drop in trade has hit hard the clearing and forwarding (C&F) agents’ business as well as the port workers’ lives.

A C&F agent Shahinur Reza Shahin told Bangla Tribune, “Import and export have come to a standstill.”

“Labourers are living in the worst condition,” said port’s public relations officer Hossain told Bangla Tribune.