PHOTO: STAR

KONGKON KARMAKER

Banglabandha land port, the only cross-border trading hub in Panchagarh’s Tetulia, connecting India, Bhutan and Nepal, has got severely disrupted due to protests by Indian truck operators over online slot-booking issues.

No imports have been recorded through the port for the past three days, port officials said.

Approximately 95 percent of the port’s imports consist of hard rock, primarily sourced from India and Bhutan.

On November 18 last year, hard rock imports from India got halted due to protests by the Fulbari Border Truck Owners’ Association over slot-booking procedures.

Indian trucks exporting goods to Bangladesh must pay fees of Rs 3,000 for six-wheelers and Rs 5,000 for 10 to 12-wheelers.

Bhutanese trucks, however, are exempt under existing agreements. This disparity has led Indian truckers to protest at the Fulbari land port in India.

The situation worsened on January 4, when Bhutan also stopped exporting hard rock due to similar fee-related disputes.

The protests have left Banglabandha’s usually busy yard nearly empty, causing port activities to grind to a halt.

In December 2024, some 5,802 trucks transported 162,847 tonnes of goods through the port.

Most of this was hard rock, making the current halt particularly damaging.

During the same period, Bangladesh exported goods to India via 228 trucks and traded goods with Nepal using 226 trucks.

The port has already exceeded its annual revenue target of Tk 68.13 crore for FY25, collecting Tk 77.23 crore within December.

However, the ongoing disruptions are expected to impact future earnings.

Local businesses and over a thousand workers dependent on port activities are already facing difficulties.

Jahangir Alam, general secretary of the C&F Agents Association, said the halt began when Bhutan refused to comply with new slot-booking fees imposed by Indian authorities.

If Bhutan agrees to the fees, importers will face increased costs, pushing up stone prices, he warned.

Rezaul Karim Shahin, convener of the Banglabandha Import-Export Group, demanded swift resolution of the issue.

Brij Kishore Prosaad, general secretary of the Northbengal Exporters Association at Fulbari, also called on the Indian government to resolve the dispute.

However, exports through the port remain unaffected.