Bangladesh impasse casts a shadow on trade & commerce
Malda/Siliguri/Balurghat/Cooch Behar: The ongoing unrest in Bangladesh has cast a shadow on the thriving border trade. Anticipations are that the impasse will result in an economic slump affecting not only the export imports but also the local economy of border areas. With movement across the border (residents of both countries) having reduced drastically, local businesses like eateries, money exchange have also been affected in all the borders with immigration checkpoints.
The Mahadipur international land port in Malda has witnessed a significant slowdown in trade with Bangladesh. While the export of potatoes has been halted, the trade of onions and stone chips continues at a much slower pace. Traders report that the Indian government has not issued any formal notification to stop the trade, yet the number of trucks crossing the border daily has reduced from 300 to 200-250. Previously, the port recorded a daily goods transaction of nearly Rs 30 crore, now dropping to just Rs 10 to Rs 15 crore.
In addition, passenger traffic has significantly declined. Only 118 persons crossed the border on Monday, compared to the usual 300-plus daily passersby. The new visa policy allowing entry only for emergency medical reasons has further curtailed movement. Ujjwal Saha, State Secretary, West Bengal Exporters Coordination Committee, said: “We will demand transitional arrangements (the vehicles already issued challans to be allowed ) if the Government of India calls for a total trade halt.”
Shreemanta Kumar Saha of Rajshahi, said, “I have come to India for my medical check up and shall also be attending a family wedding ceremony in Kolkata. Political unrest is obviously tormenting Bangladesh and there are cases of attacks on minorities there.”
Meanwhile, the unrest across the border in Bangladesh has heavily impacted the money exchangers located on the India-Bangladesh border in Fulbari in the Jalpaiguri district near Siliguri. The money exchangers are worried about their future, as the number of people and tourists visiting Bangladesh from India and vice-versa has nearly come to near halt. “Since the situation has aggravated in Bangladesh, the number of people crossing the border has drastically decreased. We haven’t earned anything for a long time. Some exchangers have had to shut down their shops due to huge losses. If this continues, we will have to look for an alternate livelihood,” said Sanjay Ghosh, a money exchanger in the area.
About 17 shops have been involved in money exchange business at the border area in Fulbari, around 16 km from Siliguri, since long. Out of this, about 7 to 8 shops have already closed. Earlier, Rs 7 to Rs 8 lakh used to be exchanged per day from a single shop. Currently, on an average, a maximum of 50 people are crossing the border per day. However, the import and export of boulders, stones and ginger between India and Bangladesh through this border are continuing.
Trade continues through the Hili border checkpost in South Dinajpur, but potato exports have been halted due to the unavailability of slot bookings. “The Bengal government has temporarily stopped slot bookings for potatoes, leading to a decline in international trade volume. Earlier, potato exports contributed to a daily trade worth Rs 10 to Rs 15 crore, which has now reduced to Rs 7 to Rs 8 crore,” stated Alauddin Mondal, Senior vice-president, Hili Exporters Association:
