Unannounced baggage limit at Ctg airport catches many off guard

Nurul Huda, a Bangladeshi expatriate worker in Qatar, brought 346kg of unaccompanied baggage through the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram some four months ago. There were clothes, milk powder, tang, dates and other items worth Tk3 lakh for his family and relatives.

These goods have been stuck in the airport's cargo warehouse as the Chattogram Customs House did not release them for an unannounced change in baggage limit. A total of 25 tonnes of baggage belonging to more than 56 expatriates like Nurul Huda have been stuck in the airport since last March.

The customs authorities are now moving to auction the goods, saying these baggage importers did not comply with the Air Passengers Unaccompanied Baggage (import) Rules.

"The 25 tonnes of baggage that was brought without complying with the rules cannot be released. We will auction them soon following customs rules," Chattogram Custom House Joint Commissioner Najiur Rahman told The Business Standard.

Faizur Rahman, commissioner of the premier customs house in the country, added, "If anyone brings in more than 100 kilograms of goods, they must submit a Clearance Permit (CP) to get the goods cleared. In the event that expatriates fail to file the CP, their goods will be subject to auction in accordance with customs law."

Victim Nurul Huda said he used to bring gifts and necessary items for his family and relatives from Qatar whenever he comes home but he has never seen such seizures by the customs authorities earlier.

"I complied with all rules and regulations, but the customs authorities did not release the goods without any valid reason. There is no precedent of unjustly detaining baggage products in any country of the world," he told The Business Standard.  

C&F agents said many expatriates are not able to get their goods released due to the unannounced change in weight limit for unaccompanied baggage.

Abu Bakar, a C&F agent engaged in clearing goods of expatriates at the Chattogram airport, said expatriates have been facing such complexities since last Ramadan. 

"Many even returned to their workplaces abroad without getting their baggage released. Besides, many of our agents also suffered for that," he told The Business Standard.

Deputy Commissioner of Airport and Airfreight Unit of the Chattogram Custom House Ahsan Ullah said, "We wrote a letter to 56 expatriates together on 14 May to submit clearance permits for releasing goods brought under baggage rule within 30 days. But no one responded. Now we will send the goods to auction."

The letter mentioned that the quantity of imported goods is not in accordance with the baggage rules. "Not even within the 100kg limit. A clearance permit from the import and export regulatory office is required to release the products. If the permit is not submitted within the next 30 days, it will be auctioned," it reads.

Another customs official, wishing to remain unnamed, told TBS that although baggage rules did not specify the weight limit for unaccompanied baggage, customs commissioners concerned have been empowered to determine or change the limit.

"This has just happened in Chattogram. The authorities have now been considering 100kg for unaccompanied baggage following identification of some false declaration amid government imposed restrictions on commercial imports," he added.

Meanwhile, civil society people criticised the customs authorities' unannounced change and called for backtracking on the auction process.

"We can survive in the economic crisis thanks to the contribution of remittance fighters. The incident of detaining their baggage is ill-motivated. I think this behaviour of customs towards expatriates is inhumane," SM Nazer Hossain, vice-president of the Consumer Association of Bangladesh, told TBS.

"Let their products be released quickly," he said.

"We often see expatriates going to the Middle East being subjected to various types of harassment. The government should pay special attention to ensure that they do not fall into trouble," he added.