MD ASADUZ ZAMAN and SUKANTA HALDER

The massive fire that engulfed the cargo complex at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday has left importers grappling with the loss of consignments worth crores of taka. They now face a painful question: is there any legal or financial redress for their losses?

There are two issues to consider — the refund of duties already paid and compensation through insurance coverage.

Take the case of Pacific International Trade Point Limited, a clearing and forwarding agent, which lost around $233,500 worth of imported medical equipment. It had already paid Tk 19 lakh in customs duties for a $67,000 shipment. The goods were scheduled for release on Sunday. Three other shipments, valued at $95,000, $68,000, and $3,500, were still under customs processing when the fire struck.

“The entire consignment was destroyed, leaving no opportunity for retrieval,” said Zakir Hossain, managing director of Pacific International Trade Point Limited. “There has been no decision on refunds or compensation yet. We are still waiting.”

As of now, neither the government nor Biman Bangladesh Airlines nor the Civil Aviation Authority has made any statement on compensation or refunds. “Only representatives of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association provided a partial list of goods that survived the fire,” Hossain said.

He added, “I have all the evidence — three to four key documents. Everything is strong and properly recorded. Once the government gives the directive, we’ll file our refund claims with all necessary documents.”

He said that the Dhaka Customs Agents Association is collecting details of pending bills of entry, ownership, and types of goods lost in the fire. “They asked for all those details, and I’ll submit them tomorrow [Wednesday] morning.”

WHAT THE LAW SAYS

The Customs Act 2023 provides a clear legal pathway for refunding duties or taxes on goods destroyed before being released for domestic use.

Under Section 28 of the law, if imported goods are damaged, lost, or destroyed in an accident or natural disaster after importation but before release, importers may apply to the customs commissioner for reassessment and refund.

Several officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) told The Daily Star that legal provisions will be thoroughly reviewed in this regard, with necessary measures taken in accordance with the law.