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 last week 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, informed.
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. 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.
