Export through Bengal''s Petrapole sluggish; Bangladeshi traders unhappy

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As trade between India and Bangladesh through the Petrapole territory port on West Bengal has been sluggish since its resumption over Sunday, stakeholders on the neighbouring country contain expressed despair, saying the problem has led to an emergency in professional output and skyrocketing of prices of perishables there.

After only 41 trucks carrying cargo crossed the border in the initially two days, 41 additional and 12 chassis of heavy vehicles went to Benapole, the corresponding place on the other side of the border, on Tuesday, officials at Petrapole said.

Unavailability of motorists to have cargo to Bangladesh and concerns related to parking of trucks found in Petrapole have led to the crisis, they said.

The Benapole Customs Clearing and Forwarding Agents'' Association, the frontline interface of the Bangladeshi exporters and importers, has written to the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) highlighting the problem.

"Despite the fact that trade has resumed, but because of complexity in your devices, export-import isn't taking place to its potential of 500-700 trucks a day. A mere 10-20 trucks crossing the border will not achieve any business purpose," Mafizur Rahman Sajan, president of the Benapole human body, stated in the letter to the FIEO.

"We are extremely unhappy with the situation," he said.

The crisis centres around two issues: drivers'' fear about infection and mandatory isolation or quarantine and alleged non-release of trucks by the neighborhood Bongaon Municipality from a parking lot manipulated because of it at Kalitala, according to the official of the FIEO.

The FIEO wrote to the federal government to relax quarantine norms for motorists.

Formalities are carried out in the Central Warehousing Company (CWC) parking whole lot before trucks cross the border.

But, due to insufficient space there, drivers in the beginning park trucks at Kalitala and the Bongaon Municipality earns income by collecting parking service fees.

The parking issue at Kalitala was also raised by the Bangladeshi body.

The municipality authorities possess dismissed the allegation that it's not really releasing trucks from the Kalitala parking lot.

Sajadur Rahman, Benapol C&F Personnel Association secretary, said, "Several garment factories are enduring because they are not buying textile from India."

"If 200-300 trucks may enter our territory by noon, we are able to unload and let go them by evening. But trucks happen to be entering past due. The last truck came back to India at 11 pm on Tuesday," he said.

Bangladeshi traders highlighted that Benapole is a good green zone and will not pose any threat of coronavirus infection to drivers.

Bilateral trade via the included check-post in North 24 Parganas district was stopped on, may 2, after two times of operation, following protests by locals who were afraid that truckers and labourers could pass on the virus.

Even ahead of that, trade between your two neighbours via this land port in North 24 Parganas district has been around deadlock for greater than a month over various issues including quarantine norms immediately after India imposed the nationwide lockdown from March 25.

Meanwhile, trade has not but resumed via Ghojadanga terrain custom station, as well in North 24 Parganas district.
Source: https://www.outlookindia.com

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