Balurghat, Sept. 3 -- Exporters at the Hili land port of South Dinajpur are hopeful that the deadlock over the overloading issue will be resolved soon following Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's intervention, paving the way for the resumption of cross-border trade with Bangladesh. Traders said the Chief Minister's initiative has raised fresh expectations at a time when the prolonged disruption has been causing mounting losses to businesses.
International trade through Hili has remained suspended since August 30 after exporters and importers stopped both import and export operations indefinitely, with the dispute over overloading of trucks emerging as a major issue. Around 30 trucks cross into Bangladesh from Hili on an average day, carrying commodities such as wheat, green chillies, bran and stones.
In return, biscuits and packaged food products are imported from Bangladesh, though the volume is considerably lower.
Overloading refers to carrying goods in a truck beyond the permissible weight limit fixed for the vehicle or the road. Exporters said differences and restrictions relating to the quantity of cargo that can be loaded onto trucks have disrupted the movement of goods and adversely affected trade. They also claimed that the issue has increased transportation costs and made commercial operations through Hili more difficult.
"We are happy that the Chief Minister has taken the initiative to resume international trade.
We hope the problem will be resolved very soon and foreign trade through Hili international land port will resume," said Hili Exporters and Importers Customs Clearing Agents Association secretary Bikash Mondal.
The exporters said Hili trade was already facing a prolonged downturn because of strained bilateral relations, growing competition from other land ports in West Bengal and concerns over the recently introduced slot-booking system. The present overloading dispute has added to their difficulties, with several trucks remaining stranded at parking areas.
A meeting between traders and district police on August 31 failed to resolve the issue.
Subsequently, Adhikari, during his visit to South Dinajpur on Wednesday, directed the district Superintendent of Police to take steps to resolve the deadlock at the earliest.
"Revenue has to increase. I will seek the cooperation of the traders," Adhikari said, indicating that the government would work with traders to restore normal trade through Hili.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.