Indo-Bangla trade comes to standstill as students' protests intensify

Kolkata: Trade between India and Bangladesh via land ports came to a standstill on Sunday as there was no movement of cargo trucks to and fro due to the ongoing student protests in the neighbouring country, officials said.

The Bangladeshi side of the Petrapole landport remained non-functional, they said. Nearly one-third of land-based trade between India and Bangladesh takes place through Petrapole.

"Trade from other land ports to Bangladesh, including Petrapole, Gojadanga, Fulbari, and Mahadipur, has also stalled as Bangladeshi Customs announced a two-day holiday from Sunday, following the government's declaration of a holiday except for essential services due to unrest," West Bengal Exporters' Coordination Committee Secretary Ujjal Saha said.

The cargo trucks that crossed over to Bangladesh on Saturday from Mahadipur port in Malda have not returned, but they are safe, he said.

"There has been no movement of trucks (import and export) at the Petrapole border since Sunday morning. Our land border remains open, but due to Benapole, trade has been impacted," the Manager of Land Port Authority of India (Petrapole), Kamlesh Saini, told PTI.

On Saturday, 110 trucks crossed over to India from Bangladesh, while 48 trucks went to Bangladesh with export, he said. Saini said around 700 trucks with general merchandise are stranded in parking lots, loaded with cargo, waiting to go to Bangladesh.

On an average, 400-450 trucks with goods cross the Petrapole land port from India, while 150-200 trucks come to India from Bangladesh every day, officials said.

Saini, however, said that passenger movement continued. The majority of them are students who are returning due to security concerns.

A Border Security Force (BSF) spokesperson said Indians are being evacuated from violence-hit Bangladesh, and the BSF has assisted in the return of 572 Indian, 133 Nepalese, and four Bhutanese students so far.

Petrapole, South Asia's largest land port, is located in North 24 Parganas district in Bongaon, about 82 km from Kolkata.

Indo-Bangla trade analyst Sagar Khastagir said that trade was already low due to economic factors and the monsoon, but the unrest has had an adverse impact.

He said exports from waterways have not stopped but have reduced significantly, primarily due to demand. Fly ash, a key commodity for export from India to Bangladesh for cement production, will be impacted due to evacuation logistics hindrances in Bangladesh caused by curfew and unrest.