look news india
Kolkata, July 20 (HS). The violent protests in Bangladesh have also affected India-Bangladesh trade. Exports to Bangladesh from Petrapole border have been stopped since Saturday morning. Also, imports are slowing down and the number of passengers coming to India from Bangladesh has also decreased. Due to this, currency exchange and local transport business have also been affected.
There are protests by students in Bangladesh demanding the withdrawal of the decision to give quota to Mukti Bahini warrior families in government jobs. By Saturday morning, 105 people have died in clashes with the police and administration. Curfew has been imposed in Bangladesh since Friday night and the army is deployed on the streets. Internet services have been shut down. In this environment, 35 truckloads of goods were sent to Bangladesh via Petrapole on Saturday morning, but after that the export was stopped.
This is the reason for stopping export
Kartik Chakraborty, secretary of Petrapole Clearing Forwarding Agent, explained the reason for stopping the export and said, “We stopped the export after discussing with LPI (Land Port Authority). We were trying to contact the people of Panapol, but it was not possible due to the internet service being shut down. This created uncertainty about sending the goods.”
Karthik said that arrangements will be made to bring back the Indian drivers who are stranded in Bangladesh. The situation has improved a bit, but it is still worrisome. If an official message of normalcy is received from Bangladesh, then exports will be resumed.
Impact on trade and traffic
The number of passengers coming from Petrapole has decreased, which has affected the currency exchange. Local vehicle businessmen have also been affected by this. Vishwanath Das, a resident of New Barrackpore who recently went to Bangladesh, said that he had to return somehow. He said, “Cars and buses are not running in Bangladesh. Shops are closed. I have somehow come on a bike. My visa is expiring in two days.”