Benapole port to suspend trade for eight days during Durga Puja

Import-export activities through Benapole Land Port will remain suspended for eight consecutive days from October 17 to 24 on the occasion of Durga Puja.

Ruhul Amin, acting director of Benapole Land Port, said trade would remain suspended due to holidays at India's Petrapole port and in Bangladesh. Normal operations will resume on the morning of October 25.

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However, passenger movement through the Benapole-Petrapole international checkpost will continue as usual during the holiday period.

Alhaj Mohsin Milon, president of the Benapole Port Importers and Exporters Association, said around 500 trucks carrying goods cross the border through the port daily, generating approximately Tk 20 crore in government revenue. The suspension could delay revenue collection worth around Tk 160 crore, he added.

Traders have expressed concerns over cargo congestion and traffic gridlock after operations resume, warning that the disruption could affect the supply of industrial raw materials and essential commodities.

Kartik Chakraborty, general secretary of India's Petrapole Port Clearing Agent Staff Welfare Association, said trade activities at Petrapole would remain suspended from October 17 to 21, while Bangladesh's holidays would run from October 20 to 24.

Meanwhile, customs clearance and internal port activities at Benapole will continue on October 18 and 19. Previously imported goods can be cleared, and empty Indian trucks will be allowed to return after unloading cargo.

Saifur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Benapole Checkpost Immigration Police, said immigration services would remain operational throughout the holiday period, with additional officials deployed to handle the expected increase in passenger traffic.