Export-import activities through the Internal Container Depot at Kamalapur in Dhaka still remained stalled for the third day in a row on Tuesday due to strike enforced by a section of clearing and forwarding agents for indefinite period. The government is also losing significant amount of revenue due to the strike, officials of the National Board of Revenue said.C&F agents under the banner of Combined C&F Agents and Importers, involved with the politics of the ruling Awami League, enforced the strike on Sunday, demanding withdrawal of ICD customs house commissioner Maruful Islam and joint commissioner Khaled Mohammed Abu Hossain.
They alleged that both the customs officers established their dictatorship at the house and harassed agents by doing physical examination and re-examination of almost every imported consignment.
A C&F agent involved with the strike said they would continue their movement until the National Board of Revenue withdrew the officials.
The Dhaka Customs Agents Association, however, is not involved with the strike.
On the other hand, ICD customs house officials said some C&F agents along with their associates suddenly enforced the strike after the house tightened physical inspection activities in a bid to check tax evasion.
They tried to sit with the strikers and the leaders of Dhaka C&F Agents Association but they (the strikers) did not respond, the officials said.
According to sources, customs officials had recently detected some incidences of under invoicing and misdeclaration by some C&F agents who have also link with the ruling party.
Terming the allegations baseless, a high official of the revenue board said
that the customs office would not bow down to the ‘illogical demand’ of some C&F agents.
The customs officials will continue their efforts to detect duty evasion in any way, he said.
NBR members Md Farid Uddin and Sultan Md Iqbal on Tuesday visited the Kamalapur ICD and discussed with customs officials about the ongoing strike and complaints of the strikers.
They instructed the ICD officials for not to harass service seekers, to reduce formalities and to avoid re-inspection, without unavoidable circumstances, and provide physical inspection report quickly, the officials said.
Dhaka Customs Agents Association president Sheikh Md Farid said that some C&F agents enforced the strike to gain their own interests.
Association leaders, however, sit today with NBR member Farid to solve the issue, he said.
-With New Age input
