Exports and imports have remained suspended for a second day on Wednesday at Dinajpur’s Hili land port as Indian truck drivers blocked the port’s zero point with their vehicles.
Nearly 200 loaded- trucks from India have blocked a key road at the port since Tuesday, demanding offloading of 7,228 tonnes of rice they had brought in almost a month ago.
Indian lorry drivers say they have been stranded at the Hili port for almost a month now and the Bangladesh authorities are not clearing them to leave with their vehicles.
Hundreds of trucks loaded with perishable goods have been stranded on the other side of Hili border, causing Bangladeshi importers counting losses.
Bangladeshi importers say that the customs have stopped the process to clear imported rice since Jun 7, when a 28 percent duty was imposed.
“Since then, almost 8,000 tonnes have been waiting to be unloaded and cleared by the customs. The LCs for these imports were opened before Jun 6, which means we will pay the previous 2 percent duty,” said Mamun ur Rashid. “We have no problem on paying a 28 percent duty on LCs opened after Jun 7.
The port authorities confirmed that a total of 209 rice-loaded trucks from India have been waiting to unload for almost a month.
“It has created a mess. Moreover, Indian trucks have blocked the key road bringing port activities to a halt. We have opened talks with the lorry drivers, importers and C&F (clearing and forwarding) agents to solve the crisis,” said the port’s Public Relation Officer Sohrab Hossain.