Customs protest halts trade
Customs officials yesterday observed work abstention for four hours protesting a recent “attack” on customs employees by members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) at Tamabil Land Port in Sylhet.
As a result of the strike, activities, particularly clearance of imported goods, were hampered in ports, including Chattogram and Benapole, two major ports that handle more than 90 percent of Bangladesh's overseas trade.
“The work abstention compels us to work extra hours now to clear the days' work,” said Altaf Hossain Bachchu, general secretary of C&F Agents Association at Customs House, Chattogram.
In general, 4,000 consignments are cleared a day from the customs house and the number consignment stands at 1,500 in the first half.
Process of clearance gets pace in the second half of the day, said Kazi Mahmud Emam, a C&F agent at the biggest port. The Customs, Excise and VAT Executive Officers Association announced the nationwide work abstention. The half-day work abstention was observed nearly a week after a brawl between some customs officials and BGB men when three customs officials at Tamabil Land Customs Station (LCS) in Sylhet were injured.
The incident took place on December 6 centring allegations of harassment of three Indian citizens, who are students of a medical college in Bangladesh, by the BGB men at the LCS.
The issue was over checking baggage of travellers from India by the BGB men, according to customs officials.
Since then, officials of customs have been protesting the alleged attack on their colleagues and have been demanding punishment of the attackers.
On December 11, National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan sent a letter to the secretary to the home ministry's Public Security Division saying that revenue collection activities would suffer if punishment and proper redress were not ensured.
“If such steps were not taken, implementation of various development plans of the government will be affected. So quick and effective steps have to be taken and exemplary punishment of guilty persons should be ensured,” read the letter.
Bhuiyan also sought instruction from the public security division so that related police station cooperates in filing a criminal case.
The BGB has denied the allegation. No case was filed nor any probe body formed, reports our correspondent from Sylhet.
Syed Mushfequr Rahman, secretary general of Bangladesh Customs Association, said customs and VAT officials observed work abstention protesting the attack at Tamabil LCS.
“For the time being, we will wait for action from the home ministry,” he said, adding that they would go to higher forums for justice after the election.
Golam Sarwar, director for transport at Chattogram Port Authority, said port activities were partially hampered as release of imported goods remained suspended for four hours.
Md Neyamul Islam, joint commissioner of customs house at Inland Container Depot, Kamalapur, Dhaka, said they also observed work abstention in solidarity with other colleagues.
Mohammad Mehraj Ul Alam Samrat, deputy commissioner of Chattogram Custom House, said assessment and shipment of goods meant for export and activities at the airport were out of the work abstention's purview.
Import-export and goods delivery came to a halt for the protest at the country's biggest customs house in Benapole, leaving hundreds of trucks carrying onion and other essential commodities stranded on the Indian part, Petrapole port, reports our correspondent from Benapole.
