Amazing!!!
Indian goods get speedy 'trial transit', no fees paid
Bangladesh exports made to wait at border by India
Mustafizur Rahman (Daily New Age)
Indian goods from Kolkata, loaded on 10 trucks crossed over to Agartala on Sunday availing speedy 'trial transit' through Bangladesh.
The trucks carrying 284 tonnes of Indian goods got the preference in crossing over to Agartala, while the trucks carrying Bangladesh's own exports waited in long queues on the narrow road leading to the Akhaura land port expecting clearance would come from India to cross the border to Agartala.
But the trucks carrying export items from Bangladesh, mainly fish, stone, and cement, had to queue up at the land port awaiting clearance from the Indian authorities to cross the border into Agartala.
The Indian goods from Kolkata to Agartala got the preferential treatment from the Indian authorities to cross the border availing 'regular or trial transit' from Bangladesh, said officials and clearing and forwarding agents at Akhaura.
On October 19, the 'regular transit' of Indian goods from Kolkata to Agartala through Bangladesh began quietly under Bangladesh-India Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade leaving many questions unanswered.
More than 150 trucks carrying exportable from Bangladesh remained stranded in a queue at the land port.
But the trucks carrying steel sheets from India crossed over to Agartala without any fees, they said.
The steel sheets carried by ships from Kolkata were unloaded at Ashuganj river port and reloaded on trucks which took them o Agartala through the land port at Akhaura, they said.
Earlier, over 700 tonnes of Indian goods were carried to Agartala through Ashuganj and Akhaura ports under trial transit while 466 tonnes of steel sheets of the same consignment remained dumped at the port as 'regular transit' began on October 19.
'Ten more trucks carrying the Indian shipments crossed the border today availing the trial transit through Bangladesh and two more trucks loaded with iron bars are waiting at the port to cross over to Agartala availing regular transit,' Akhaura land customs station officer Subhash Chandra Kundu told New Age.
He said the Indian shipments availing 'trial transit' were not charged any fees.
Nine trucks, each carrying 17.5 tonnes of iron bars crossed the border on the first day the India availed 'regular transit' through Bangladesh to transport its goods between its two regions.
Bangladesh land customs at Akhaura realised only Tk 14,000 as commission for clearing and forwarding the Indian goods which were shown as imported from India and later exported to India, said officials.
India paid no customs duty to Bangladesh for the transshipment of its goods through Bangladesh territory.
Asked about transit of Indian goods without fees, finance minister AMA Muhith told reporters at a function in Dhaka on Saturday that the fees had been realised and would be realised.
'There has been a long queue at the port as the trucks carrying trial transit goods has crossed the border today. The Indian Border Security Force always gives preferential treatment to trucks carrying Indian goods to enter into the Indian territory first, Abbas Uddin Bhuiyan, clearing and forwarding agent at Akhaura, said on Sunday.
He said that obviously it creates problems for exports from Bangladesh which have to wait inordinately to get entry into India at Agartala.
The Agaratla land port has a limited space.
Abbas said the situation turned worse when Indian big lorries carrying power plant equipment from Ashuganj river port cross the border breaking the serial.
An on-duty officer at the Border Guards Bangladesh check post at Akhaura land port said that 100 trucks carrying exportable fish, stone, cement and other items from Bangladesh now require to wait to cross over Agartala every day.
At the Akhaura land port one warehouse superintendent, one traffic superintendent and eight security personnel are two inadequate to handle operations which expanded sharply since India started availing the 'transit/transshipment' for its goods.
Bangladesh government had earlier directed its land customs station at Akhaura to allow 'transit/transshipment' of Indian goods from Kolkata to Agartala although the formalities for India to use Bangladesh as a corridor remained incomplete, said officials.
Land customs officials at Akhaura said that they had received a government order on October 17 asking hem to treat the Indian consignments as goods for 'transit/ transshipment' but it did not say a word about whether or not the customs duties or fees would be charged.
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