Import through Bhomra land port resumes after 87 days

Customs officer Enam Hossain said the date of resumption of export to India from Bangladesh through the port is yet to be known.

Import activities through the Bhomra land port in Satkhira district resumed on Saturday after 87 days of closure following the Covid-19 outbreak.

The resumption started at 3:00pm when goods-carrying trucks entered Bangladesh through Ghojadanga land port of India following necessary health guidelines, Sub-inspector of Bhomra land port immigration police Bishwajit Sarkar said.

Immigration activities of Bangladeshi and Indian travelers are still closed, he added.

Bhomra land port customs officer Enam Hossain said only import activities have resumed through the port. Five cargo trucks from India have entered through the port after an hour of resumption.

"The date of resumption of export to India from Bangladesh through the port is yet to be known. Traders and Ghojadanga land port authorities will talk to higher authorities about the resumption of export from Bangladesh," Enam Hossain said.

"With the export-import activities, the land port earns Tk3 crore revenue every day. Due to the closure of the port for 87 days, the government has lost Tk261 crore revenue."

Maksudul Khan, treasurer of the C&F Agents Association of Bhomra port, said officials-employees, traders and workers got relief as import activities started through the port. Traders have lost Tk174 crore due to the closure of the port.

Earlier, Import and export activities through this port were suspended on March 25 due to shutdown in India and Bangladesh enforced to prevent the spread of Covid-19 outbreak.

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