Customs operations resume at sea, land ports

Import and export activities resumed at sea and land ports across the country yesterday after revenue officials called off their two-day nationwide shutdown on Sunday evening.

Officials said they were trying to expedite customs procedures to clear the backlog accumulated on Saturday and Sunday.

At Chattogram port, customs operations for both import and export activities resumed soon after the shutdown was called off, according to Mohammad Saidul Islam, deputy commissioner of the Custom House, Chattogram.

During the two-day work stoppage, some 3,500 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of export containers had been left stranded at the port, according to port sources.

After the shutdown was called off, 310 TEUs were offloaded from the MV Amalfi Bay, while 1,340 TEUs of export containers were loaded, they said.

Several trade bodies and clearing and forwarding agencies that operate on behalf of importers and exporters welcomed the resumption.

Saiful Alam, president of the Chattogram C&F Agents Association, said the two-day suspension had caused severe congestion in both import and export operations.

"The port has started to clear the backlog," he said. Export customs duties were processed on Sunday night, and vessel registrations, along with other essential approvals, were underway, he added.

Alam hoped that normalcy at the port would be restored within the next few days.

At Benapole Land Port, import and export activities restarted in full swing yesterday morning, said Shamim Hossain, director of the port.

Around 3,000 handling workers returned to their posts yesterday morning, as customs and port officials said they were working to clear the backlog of deliveries and complete pending formalities.

Alhaj Aminul Haque, vice-president of the Benapole Importers and Exporters Association, said around 2,000 cargo trucks had been stranded on the Indian side of the border. Many of them began entering Benapole yesterday morning.

Shamim Hossain said field officials had been instructed to speed up operations to ease the congestion and clear the accumulated cargo.

Trade also resumed through Burimari Land Port in Lalmonirhat and Sonahat Land Port in Kurigram yesterday morning, offering relief to hundreds of traders and businesses on both sides of the border who had suffered heavy financial losses during the disruption.

Niaz Nahid, general secretary of the C&F Agents Association at Burimari, told The Daily Star that export-bound trucks heading for India and import cargo trucks from across the border had begun arriving at the port yard from yesterday morning.

Shamim Ahmed, an importer and exporter based in Burimari, said, "Burimari is the second-largest land port in the country, generating over Tk 1 crore in daily revenue. Thankfully, trucks are once again entering with imported goods and leaving with export cargo."

A similar scene was found at Sonahat Land Port. Akmal Hossain, president of the C&F Agents Association there, said, "Trade resumed yesterday morning after a two-day closure. But the financial blow has already been dealt to both traders and the treasury."

Mehedi Hasan, assistant director of Burimari Land Port, said, "On average, around 300 trucks are cleared daily here, mostly carrying imported goods from India and Bhutan. After two days of shutdown, we are now facing a large pile-up of cargo trucks, which may take time to clear."