Export-import between India and Bangladesh through Sheola, Zakiganj and Tamabil land ports in Sylhet remained suspended since Sunday amid tensions between the two neighboring counties over the arrest and bail denial to former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das. Goods-laden trucks have been stranded on both sides due to the trade suspension, causing losses to traders. Sources at Zakiganj Customs Station said trade activities through Zakiganj land port remained halted since Sunday following demonstrations in India over the arrest of Chinmoy.On December 1, several hundred supporters of Chinmoy gathered at Sutarkandi Customs Station in India’s Karimganj following the arrest of the Hindu priest, disrupting trade activities at Zakiganj land port. 1030 mts rice imported from India thru Benapole in one weekBesides, trade was disrupted at Sutarkandi and Sheola land ports over the same issue.Atik Hussain, a former director of the Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said the ISKCON-related unrest led to the suspension of export-import at Sutarkandi and Karimganj land ports in India."No goods-laden vehicles could enter Bangladesh from India since the protests began," he added. Indefinite transport strike enters day 2 in BenapoleAs of Tuesday, around 200 goods-laden trucks were stranded at Sutarkandi land port in India, while another 50 remained stuck at Sheola land port in Bangladesh. Trucks carrying fruits and raw materials were also stranded at Karimganj land port, raising concerns about potential damage to perishable goods.Besides, trade activities through Tamabil land port in Sylhet, remained halted for several days following dispute in the measurement of stone and limestone products at the Dawki border in India.Over 300 trucks carrying stones and limestone remained stranded at Dawki land port in India, opposite to Tamabil Land Port, he said.UNB Benapole correspondent reports: the trade activities between Bangladesh and India are going on in the full swing.A total of 418 goods-laden trucks entered Bangladesh through Benapole port on Tuesday while 189 goods-laden trucks left for India through the land port.Besides, the passenger movement between the two countries through the land port also remained uninterrupted as some 1,800 passengers went to India on Wednesday.In Feni, some students and local people staged demonstrations at Bilonia land port in Parshuram upazila around 11 am on Wednesday protesting the attack on the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala of Tripura and ‘provocative statements’ made against Bangladesh over loudspeakers in the bordering area on Sunday.Additional police and Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed in the area on Wednesday to maintain law and order.On November 26, Chattogram Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate Judge Kazi Shariful Islam sent Chinmoy Das to jail rejecting his bail plea in a sedition case.Violence erupted on the court premises amid demonstrations by ISKCON supporters against the bail denial, leaving lawyer Saiful Islam Alif dead. Meanwhile, BGB stepped up vigil along the border to thwart any evil activities and unwanted situations along the bordering area amid growing tension over ex-ISKCON leader issue and attack on Bangladesh diplomatic mission in India’s Agartala.

A total of 1030 metric tonnes of rice were imported from India through Benapole port in one week till Wednesday. According to the Benapole land port and customs house, 33 rice-laden trucks entered the land port from November 18 to 27. Deputy assistant officer of Benapole check-post Plant Quarantine Center, Shyamal Kumar Nath, said some 1030 metric tonnes of rice have been imported till November 27. Three rice-laden trucks entered No 31 transshipment yard around 9:30 pm on Wednesday which is supposed to be the last shipment. Already the port authorities unloaded the imported rice after completing the due process on Thursday morning, said deputy director Sajib Najib of the port. Mafizur Rahman, owner of Arka Trading said the government approved import of 2000 metric tonnes of Atap and 3000 metric tonnes of boiled rice and of these, 105 metric tonnes of boiled rice (swarna variety) were imported from India. 100 tonnes of Atap rice imported from India via Banglabandha land port Rashed Chowdhury, owner of Chowdhury auto Rice Mill, said the price of coarse hybrid variety rice is being sold at Tk 46 while Swarna variety Tk 48 at the wholesale market. He also expected that the price of rice may decrease following the availability of the Aman rice in the local market. In an effort to stabilise the rice market amid soaring prices, the government decided to import rice from India. The rice will be imported within December 10.    

The long-route transport owners of Benapole have announced an indefinite strike starting Saturday morning, leading to severe hardships for passengers on both sides of the border. Bablur Rahman Babu, president of the Benapole Transport Association, said that a recent meeting between local and transport authorities addressed the ongoing traffic congestion in Benapole. As a result of the congestion, authorities ordered bus owners to relocate operations from the checkpost terminal to the Kagoj Pukur terminal, located 4 kilometers away from Benapole, which has caused significant inconvenience for travelers. “In response to these changes, the Transport Owners Association has decided to halt all bus services between Dhaka and Benapole,” he added. For the past 20 years, buses traveling from Dhaka and Chattogram have been dropping passengers directly at the port’s checkpost terminal, with empty buses then parking at the terminal. However, recent changes now require these buses to drop passengers at a more distant terminal, causing security concerns and delays. One passenger, Mehedi Hasan, recounted his experience to UNB: "After arriving from Dhaka, we were dropped off at the Municipal terminal, four kilometers from the border, at 3 am. After waiting at a tea shop for two hours, I had to take a bike to the border in the morning." He added, "We want the buses to operate from the transport terminal at the checkpost." Passengers traveling to India have also expressed frustration, citing a new terminal built on the Indian side of the border at Petrapole to ease travel. In contrast, the terminal in Bangladesh at the border is being closed and passengers are being redirected to a terminal four kilometers away. This has caused significant hardship for travelers. Benapole Municipal Council Administrator Dr. Kazi Nazir Hasan explained that this decision was made to alleviate traffic congestion at the port. However, long-distance buses will be permitted to drop passengers directly at the Benapole check post between midnight and 6am.  

A total of 593 metric tons of green chilies have been imported from India through Benapole over the past two days. On Tuesday evening, 10 metric tons and 956 kgs of green chilies were imported, while 581 metric tons and 970 kgs were brought in by Monday evening. According to Benapole Customs, 28 Bangladeshi importers brought in the green chilies from India on Monday at a total cost of approximately Tk 3.34 crore. The import price per ton was set at Tk 60,000, with an additional import duty of Tk 36,000 per ton, bringing the total cost to Tk 96 per kilogram. Trade through Benapole resumes after 5-day holiday Due to the Durga Puja holiday, the Benapole and Petrapole ports were closed for the past five days. Imports resumed on Monday as soon as the port operations were restored. The massive shipment of green chilies was delivered to importers after clearing customs duties at Benapole. Rabindra Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Benapole Customs, reported that a shipment of 10 metric tons and 956 kgs of green chilies arrived on a single truck on Tuesday evening. On Monday, 581 metric tons and 970 kgs of green chilies were imported on 50 trucks. The shipments were cleared quickly after the payment of duties.

Trade between Bangladesh and India through the Benapole land port resumed on Monday morning after a five-day closure marking Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of Hindus. Shamsur Rahman, president of the Benapole Clearing & Forwarding agent, said the land port again became vibrant with activities. Read more: 479 MT hilsa exported to India through Benapole Hundreds of Indian trucks carrying goods started entering the land port in the morning as those were stranded at the Indian end for the last five days, he said. Imtiaz Bhuiyan, Officer-in-Charge of Benapole Checkpost Immigration police, said the movement of passengers between the two countries with valid documents remained uninterrupted.

Bangladesh has so far exported 479 metric tonnes (MT) of hilsa to India marking Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Hindu community, through Benapole land port. The export started through the country's largest land port with 54.460 MT on September 26, and India has so far received 479 tonnes over the past 13 days. The government set a price of $10 equivalent to Tk 1, 180 for per kilogram of hilsa. Visiting local Benapole Fishery Market, this correspondent found per kilogram of hilsa weighing under one Kg was selling at TK 1, 300 and the Hilsa weighing over one Kg at Tk 1800-2000, Tk 600 to 800 more per kg compared to the export price. Read: 410 metric tons of hilsa exported to India via Benapole Land Port Asked about the low price of the exported hilsa, Mahbubur Rahman, an official at Fisheries Inspection and Quality Control Centre of Benapole land port, said the circular on hilsa export dates back a few years but now the export price of hilsa may be adjusted in line with the domestic market price. Masudur Rahman, revenue official at the Check-post Cargo Section of the land port, said seven trucks entered India carrying 22 MT of hilsa on Wednesday night. Read more: Bangladesh missing hilsa export target to India for Durga Puja since 2019 With this, India received 479MT of hilsa from Bangladesh through Benapole land port in 10 consignments since September 26, he said.

With four days left to end the deadline, Bangladesh has so far exported 459 metric tonnes (MT) of Hilsa to India marking the Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Hindu community across the world, through the Benapole land port. The export started through the country's largest land port with 54.460 tonnes on September 26, and India received 459 tonnes sent through the land port over the past 12 days. The government set a price of $10 equivalent to Tk 1, 180 per Kilogram of Hilsa. Read: 410 metric tons of hilsa exported to India via Benapole Land Port Asked about the low price of the exported Hilsa, Mahbubur Rahman, an official at Fisheries Inspection and Quality Control Centre of Benapole land port, said the circular on Hilsa export dates back a few years. Then the export price of Hilsa was fixed at $ 10 per kg in line with the market price of that time. Hilsa is still being exported according to the circular. However, the price of hilsa may be adjusted in line with the domestic market price, he said. Rashedul Sajib Nazir, deputy director of the land port, confirmed that they could export only 459 tonnes of Hilas since September 26. Read more: Bangladesh missing hilsa export target to India for Durga Puja since 2019 It may be mentioned a five day holiday centring Durga Puja will begin from Thursday and activities of the land port will remain suspended till after the end of the Puja.

Despite dollar shortage, preventing traders from opening letters of credit (LC) as needed, the Benapole Custom House exceeded its revenue target for the 2023-24 fiscal year by Tk 216 crore. The revenue target for Benapole Custom House in the 2023-24 fiscal year was Tk 5,948 crore. Actual revenue collected amounted to Tk 6,164.59 crore. According to Benapole Custom sources, the total import volume for the 2022-23 fiscal year was 1.445 million tons, which increased to 1.72178 million tons in the 2023-24 fiscal year. Read more: Bangladeshi injured in BSF firing along Benapole border Kamal Uddin Shimul, Vice President of the Benapole C&F Agents Association, attributed the initial revenue shortfall to global economic recession, rising dollar exchange rates, and the resulting reduction in LCs by commercial banks. However, higher imports of goods with elevated duty rates towards the end of the fiscal year led to increased revenue collection at Benapole Custom House. Importer Monir Hossain highlighted that many businesses could not open LCs due to banks increasing exchange rates amid the global recession and dollar shortage, significantly reducing imports through Benapole land port. Nonetheless, the government’s sudden increase in import duties on various goods boosted custom revenue. Abdul Hakim, Commissioner of Benapole Custom House, said that the increase in high-duty imports towards the end of the fiscal year, combined with the government’s raised duty rates, contributed to exceeding the revenue target. He emphasized the implementation of a zero-tolerance policy against tax evasion at the port, with a 200% penalty imposed on irregularities, which also boosted revenue. Additionally, imports for the government’s mega projects through Benapole further increased custom revenue. Read more: Export-import resumes through Benapole land port after Eid

Muslim devotees who attended the first phase of three-day Biswa Ijtema from neighbouring India have started returning home through Benapole land port in Jashore on Monday (February 05, 2024) morning. Sources at the port’s immigration office said that a huge number of devotees came to Bangladesh from several states of India to participate the Ijtema that ended on Sunday with Akheri Munajat on the banks of the Turag River in Tongi. Read: Two Ijtema attendees die in Tongi road accident The Indian devotees were seen standing in queues of Benapole’s Immigration customs to return home in the early morning. Benapole Immigration police station’s Officer-in-Charge (investigation) Shafiq Ahmed said there are additional officers so that the devotees face no hassles during departure from Bangladesh. Read more: Two Ijtema attendees die in Tongi road accident

A member of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) who sustained injuries after being shot by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) along the Dhannokhola border under Benapole upazila of Jashore early Monday (January 22, 2024), succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment in India, BGB said today (January 23, 2024). The deceased, Raisuddin, 35, was posted at the BGB-49 Battalion in Jashore, said a media release signed by Lt Col Md Jamil, commander of the 49 Battalion. According to the release, a patrol team of the paramilitary force challenged a gang of cattle smugglers when they were intruding into Bangladesh from India, adjacent to Jhelepara post area under the Benapole upazila, around 5:30 am on Monday. Read more: BGB distributes warm clothes among destitute people in St Martin's Island At one stage of the chase, the smugglers went back inside Indian territory, it reads, adding that BGB personnel Raisuddin got separated from the patrol team amid dense fog. Though initially he was not found, later it was known through several sources that he was injured in BSF firing and was undergoing treatment in an Indian hospital. Shortly after the incident, a bilateral flag meeting on commander-level was held between the BGB and the BSF, according to the release. He died while undergoing treatment in the hospital, it was confirmed. The BGB demanded proper investigation into the incident and sent a protest note to their Indian counterparts, the press release reads. Process is underway to bring the BGB personnel’s body back home soon, it added. Read more: BGB's seized contraband in Dec 2023 worth over Tk 266 crore