Hili land port still close for strike
Our Correspondent, Dinajpur
Hili land port of Dinajpur remained closed for the third consecutive day as exporters, importers, clearing and forwarding agents [C&F] called for an indefinite strike on Monday last protesting a new rule applied by Indian exporters. The port became almost deserted as Bangladeshi exporters and importers stayed inactive yesterday, sources said. They said several meetings between Bangladeshi and Indian traders were held during the previous two days without any solutions. Gonesh Saha, president of Importers and C&F Agents Association, said he had tried to contact Subodh Kundu, president of Exporters and C&F Agents Association of India to settle the matter. Shahinur Rahman, general secretary of Hili Importers and C&F Agents Association, said a seven-member delegation went India on January 22 but failed to make any progress. He said only three Indian traders control the entire exports through the Hili port. The three Indian traders also own around 150 trucks which are used for carrying goods through the port and they changed the rules for their own benefits, he observed. It may be mentioned that Indian Exporters and C&F Agents Association in a letter to Bangladeshi Importers and C&F Agents Association said Bangladeshi importers would not be allowed to load goods more than 10 tones on a single truck. Bangladeshi traders, however, used to load 20 tones on a single truck and this new rule increases their transportation expenditure. Meanwhile, the strike is costing the government Tk 80 lakh of revenue loss everyday.
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