Violence on Bangladesh’s highways amid the BNP’s blockade is discouraging businessmen to take delivery of imported goods at the Benapole land port.
It has caused a huge piling up of goods worth millions under an open sky, as hundreds of Indian trucks await unloading for days triggering fears of losses.
The port’s Assistant Director Monirul Islam said Benapole had a capacity for handling 47,000 metric tonnes of goods.
Its 36 warehouses, five yards for transhipment and two terminals were full to the brim with over 80,000 tonnes of goods after businessmen did not clear unloading fearing attacks by pro-blockade elements.
According to the Customs Clearing and Forwarding (C&F) agent association, 350 trucks loaded with Indian goods arrive at Benapole on an average every day while about 500 trucks leave the port with goods for various destinations in Bangladesh.
“But the number has come down to half during the blockade leading to the worst-ever pile up of goods in the port’s history,” the association’s Joint General Secretary Jamal Hossain said.
Nearly 2,000 Indian trucks are stranded at the port, he added.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who leads the 20-Party Alliance, called the blockade on Jan 5. At least 35 people have been killed in blockade-related violence while numerous vehicles have been attacked.
On Friday, at least 40 people were burned, 27 of them in Dhaka, in separate arson attacks.
Trucks carrying goods are also being frequently targeted on the highways. Several truck drivers and their assistants had died in cases of arson.
An importer has to pay Tk 2,000 extra each day a truck waits at the land port. It is taking up to 10 days to release the goods as there’s lack of space in the warehouses.
Benapole port importer-exporters’ association Joint Secretary Mohsin Milon said transport owners were charging double due to the risks on the highways.
They also have to pay twice or thrice the amount for using the port’s warehouses after a certain period.
Importers have to bear the cost.
Meanwhile, Indian truck owners have threatened to boycott Benapole alleging sufferings of their drivers and assistants who are stuck there for several days now.
Dilip Das, general secretary of an Indian truck owners association, told bdnews24.com that their drivers were being harassed regularly.
“Port authorities did not address the issue despite repeated requests,” he said adding they would go on strike from Jan 26 if their problems are not solved by then.
Benapole’s Assistant Director Islam said they were aware of the allegations.
“We’re trying to solve the problems,” he added.