As the nationwide siege by the opposition continues, it has taken a heavy toll on the country’s exports, imports and marketing of perishable commodities, leaving everyone — from producers to buyers — gasping. On Sunday night, only 100 to 150 container lorries rolled in and out the Chittagong Port, the country’s gateway to the world by sea, instead of thousands every day.
The situation has also led to fares of lorries transporting goods soaring from Tk. 20,000 to Tk. 60,000 as risk premiums charged by the drivers daring to travel through highways at late in the night.
The home ministry on Monday asked all concerned, including the police and the administration, to help safe and smooth movement of all cargoes, exports, imports and perishables commodities by railways and roads to keep the country’s economy and supply chains moving.
As the trouble on the highways to and from the ports increased with the Opposition activists enforcing their blockade programme, the exporters and importers and even small farmers of winter vegetables are deeply worried as the siege is taking its toll on the movement of goods to and from the Chittagong and Mongla ports.
Quoting port authorities, our Chittagong correspondent said two inland cargo vessels had been kept ready to ferry the containers on the riverways to and from the Chittagong port and the inland container terminal at Pangaon near Dhaka to ferry the containers.
Besides, containers are being ferried out of the port to Chittagong city, helping to clear the traffic from the jetty. As many as 1,523 containers were cleared on Sunday night.
On Friday, 3,100 containers were moved to the city, taking advantage of the siege let-off. It helped clear the load from the port, officials said.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Mahbubullah, a traffic official at Mongla port, told The Independent on Monday that about 400 to 500 containers were awaiting clearance. Two ships were waiting to unload containers, he added. He also said that 600 reconditioned cars were waiting for clearance after they were imported.
The security forces, including the Army, moved up and down the highways, helping the trucks and buses to ferry both the cargoes and passengers in small numbers and helping clearance of the containers, our Chittagong correspondent said.
Sources in the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) said they were also providing escorts to clear goods from the two land ports at Bhomra in the trouble-torn district of Satkhira and Benapole in Jessore. The BGB helped in the clearance of cargoes, including perishables coming from across the border.
-With The Independent input
