Akhaura land port users start indefinite strike
Demand repair of 16-km dilapidated road
Export and import through Akhaura land port remained stopped from yesterday as Exporters and Importers Association and Customs Clearing and Forwarding Associations of the port called an indefinite strike demanding early start of the work to repair the dilapidated 'land port road'.
Badly damaged for long, the 16-kilometre 'land port road' from Dharkhar to Akhaura in Brahmanbaria district has remained unfit for plying of heavy vehicles, especially loaded trucks, for long, said local people, association leaders and land port sources.
Every day, four to five trucks loaded with stones get trapped in breaches and cracks on the road. It often takes a couple days for the transport workers to rescue the fallen trucks. Sometimes the trucks lose balance and fall into wayside ditches. As a result, the exporters and importers count heavy losses regularly, said leaders of Exporters and Importers Association.
Despite repeated urge to the high authorities, there is no headway towards start of the repair work.
On Sunday night, all associations of the land port headed by Md Shafiqul Islam, president of Exporters and Importers Association, held a meeting where they decided to start an indefinite strike to press home the demand for urgent repair of the damaged road.
As they started the indefinite strike yesterday, loading and unloading works at the port came to a halt.
During normal operation, the land port authorities can export 134 to 150 truckloads of goods and fish loaded in over 300 vans to Agartala in India.
Suspension of the port activities causes the authorities count revenue loss of around Tk 1 crore 40 lakh daily.
When contacted, Md Abul Bashar Chowdhury, assistant land customs officer of Akhaura land port, said he wrote a letter to high authorities regarding stoppage of export and import due to indefinite strike of the associations at the port as well as about transport problems on the land port road.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments