Business grind to halt at Benapole port amid security fears

Business activities – including the import and export of goods – have come to a halt at the Benapole Land Port due to security concerns.

Since the morning of 6 August, operations at the port have been suspended, leading to a traffic jam of cargo trucks at both the Benapole and Petrapole (Indian side) ports.

Previously, on Monday morning, goods imports and exports between the two countries had resumed.

Sajedur Rahman, general secretary of the Benapole Clearing Agent Staff Association, said that from 3pm on Monday, the import and export of goods through the Benapole-Petrapole border halted.

"On that morning, 156 trucks carrying goods arrived from Petrapole to Benapole port. Since then, no new goods have arrived. Once the situation calms down, discussions will be held to resume trade activities."

He added that no work has been done at Benapole port due to the absence of workers, and operations will start as soon as new workers join. Everyone is ready to resume work.

Karthik Chandra Chakraborty, general secretary of Indian Petrapole C&F Agent Staff Welfare Association, said after Sheikh Hasina fled the country, hundreds of people took to the streets in celebration in the Benapole port area.

"Many have halted their imports for security reasons, causing nearly 2,000 trucks to wait in Petrapole to enter Bangladesh," he also said.

Benapole C&F Agents Association International Affairs Secretary Sultan Mahmud Bipul explained that due to the change in government, many Indian truck drivers are hesitant to bring goods into Bangladesh. Similarly, local businesses are not releasing goods due to security concerns on the roads, resulting in thousands of cargo trucks being stuck at the Petrapole and Benapole ports.

Customs sources reveal that approximately Tk7,000 crore worth of Bangladeshi goods are exported to India through Benapole port each year. Among the 23 approved land ports for import-export in the country, Benapole is one of the 12 currently operational ports. The port is located 84 kilometres from Kolkata, and it takes about 3 hours for a cargo truck to reach Kolkata from the port, and vice versa. The easy transportation route has created a strong interest among businesses in import-export trade.

Annually, around 80,000 tonnes of goods are imported through the port. The government earns about Tk5,000 crore from import and Tk8,000 core from export trade.

Around Tk60,000 core worth of goods is traded through the land port each year, with direct dependency for around 20,000 people and indirect dependency for about 50,000 people.

Imported goods include garments, ready-made clothing, raw materials for textiles, and pharmaceutical industries, capital machinery for industrial establishments, chemicals, food items, rice, onions, cotton, buses, truck chassis, motorcycles, and parts and tires.

Exported goods include jute and jute products, tissue, rice bran, white fish, batteries, ceramic tiles, soap, bone meal, oven garments, knitted garments, and knitted fabrics.

Rezaul Karim, director of Benapole Port, said they contacted Indian authorities to maintain trade facilities. Due to security concerns, many are not releasing goods.

Currently, more than 250 export-bound trucks are waiting at the port, and trucks are also waiting at the Petrapole port to enter Bangladesh.

Safayet Hossain, joint commissioner of Benapole Customs House, said that they have urged the C&F representatives to release goods from the Benapole port. Some are citing security concerns for not accepting goods. They expect the situation to normalise by Thursday.

Azharul Islam, officer-in-charge of Benapole Checkpost Immigration Police, said, "Passenger movement across the border remains normal. Over the past two days, only medical visa holders have been allowed to travel to India, and no red or official passport holders have arrived at immigration."