Indian trucks to carry transit cargo from Akhaura

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Bangladeshi trucks carrying export goods lie stranded at the Akhaura land port on Monday to make way for the Indian trucks to enter Bangladesh. — Indrajit Ghosh

Shipping ministry unaware of ‘regular transit’

Mustafizur Rahman 

The government decided to allow Indian trucks to enter into Bangladesh to carry Indian goods under ‘regular transit’ from Akhaura land port to Agartala in the Indian province of Tripura, said officials.

On October 19, when the regular transit began Bangladesh trucks carried the

Indian transit cargo from Akhaura to Agartala.

The regular transit began in a hurry and without any formal announcement even before the trial transit could be completed.

‘The authorities instructed the land customs station at Akhaura to allow Indian trucks to carry the transit cargo from Akhaura to Agartala,’ the customs station officer Subhash Chandra Kundu told New Age on Monday.

He refused to say when he received the new instruction.

Under the new decision, he said, local trucks would carry the Indian transit cargo from Ashuganj river port only up to Akhaura land port.

India started using Bangladesh for the trial transit of its cargo from West Bengal to Tripura on September 29.

Indian trucks transported its cargo from Akhaura to Agartala since the trial transit began.

Bangladesh allowed India regular transit even before completing the trial transit, creating fresh confusion over the entire issue.

The ‘regular transit’ of Indian cargo from Kolkata to Agartala through Bangladesh began under Bangladesh-India Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade.

On the first day of the regular transit on October 19, nine Bangladesh trucks, each carrying 17.5 tonnes of iron bars, carried the transit cargo from Ashuganj river port to Agartala.

The Indian cargo, arriving by ship is unloaded at Ashuganj river port before reloading on trucks headed for the land port at Akhaura border for the ultimate destination of Agartala in Tripura.   

Shipping ministry secretary Md Abdul Mannan Howlader told New Age on Monday, ‘No truck of India can enter into Bangladesh to carry its transit cargo without an agreement in this regard.’

He said, India is transiting its cargo through Bangladesh, using the Ashuganj river port and Akhaura land port on trial basis following a decision of the two countries.

The shipping ministry secretary, however, expressed his ignorance about it when asked how the regular transit could begin even before the transit on trial basis could be completed.

He said that the shipping ministry called a meeting of the ministries of commerce, communications and the national board of revenue to evaluate whether the trial transit would bring benefit or loss to Bangladesh.

The inter-ministerial meeting is set for tomorrow, he said.

Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1

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Indian goods get speedy ‘trial transit’, no fees paid

Indian goods from Kolkata, loaded on 10 trucks crossed over to Agartala on Sunday availing speedy ‘trial transit’ through Bangladesh.

The trucks carrying 284 tonnes of Indian goods got the preference in crossing over to Agartala, while the trucks carrying Bangladesh’s own exports waited in long queues on the narrow road leading to the Akhaura land port expecting clearance would come from India to cross the border to Agartala.

But the trucks carrying export items from Bangladesh, mainly fish, stone, and cement, had to queue up at the land port awaiting clearance from the Indian authorities to cross the border into Agartala.

The Indian goods from Kolkata to Agartala got the preferential treatment from the Indian authorities to cross the border availing ‘regular or trial transit’ from Bangladesh, said officials and clearing and forwarding agents at Akhaura.

On October 19, the ‘regular transit’ of Indian goods from Kolkata to Agartala through Bangladesh began quietly under Bangladesh-India Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade leaving many questions unanswered.

More than 150 trucks carrying exportable from Bangladesh remained stranded in a queue at the land port.

But the trucks carrying steel sheets from India crossed over to Agartala without any fees, they said.

The steel sheets carried by ships from Kolkata were unloaded at Ashuganj river port and reloaded on trucks which took them o Agartala through the land port at Akhaura, they said.

Earlier, over 700 tonnes of Indian goods were carried to Agartala through Ashuganj and Akhaura ports under trial transit while 466 tonnes of steel sheets of the same consignment remained dumped at the port as ‘regular transit’ began on October 19.  

‘Ten more trucks carrying the Indian shipments crossed the border today availing the trial transit through Bangladesh and two more trucks loaded with iron bars are waiting at the port to cross over to Agartala availing  regular transit,’ Akhaura land customs station officer Subhash Chandra Kundu told New Age.

He said the Indian shipments availing ‘trial transit’ were not charged any fees.

Nine trucks, each carrying 17.5 tonnes of iron bars crossed the border on the first day the India availed ‘regular transit’ through Bangladesh to transport its goods between its two regions.

Bangladesh land customs at Akhaura realised only Tk 14,000 as commission for clearing and forwarding the Indian goods which were shown as imported from India and later exported to India, said officials.

India paid no customs duty to Bangladesh for the transshipment of its goods through Bangladesh territory.

Asked about transit of Indian goods without fees, finance minister AMA Muhith told reporters at a function in Dhaka on Saturday that the fees had been realised and would be realised.

‘There has been a long queue at the port as the trucks carrying trial transit goods has crossed the border today. The Indian Border Security Force always gives

preferential treatment to trucks carrying Indian goods to enter into the Indian territory first, Abbas Uddin Bhuiyan, clearing and forwarding agent at Akhaura, said on Sunday

He said that obviously it creates problems for exports from Bangladesh which have to wait inordinately to get entry into India at Agartala.

The Agaratla land port has a limited space.

Abbas said the situation turned worse when Indian big lorries carrying power plant equipment from Ashuganj river port cross the border breaking the serial.

An on-duty officer at the Border Guards Bangladesh check post at Akhaura land port said that 100 trucks carrying exportable fish, stone, cement and other items from Bangladesh now require to wait to cross over Agartala every day.

At the Akhaura land port one warehouse superintendent, one traffic superintendent and eight security personnel are two inadequate to handle operations which expanded sharply since India started availing the ‘transit/transshipment’ for its goods.

Bangladesh government had earlier directed its land customs station at Akhaura to allow ‘transit/transshipment’ of Indian goods from Kolkata to Agartala although the formalities for India to use Bangladesh as a corridor remained incomplete, said officials.

Land customs officials at Akhaura said that they had received a government order on October 17 asking hem to treat the Indian consignments as goods for ‘transit/ transshipment’ but it did not say a word about whether or not the customs duties or fees would be charged.

Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1

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Indian PM asks to help rival anti-graft quickly stop

Agence France-Presse. New Delhi

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his political rivals have Wednesday with appeal to social activist Anna Hazare, his anti-corruption hunger strike, now in the second week to retrieve.

But a spokesman for the ailing 74 years activist said he kept to his demands and would his stop just quickly, when the Government decided on his own hard version of an anti-corruption law, table.

'Then, Anna his hunger strike is closed' Arvind Kejriwal told reporters.

The joint call followed a meeting in the Singh sought the help of all political parties, the confrontation to end nationwide support for the Government on the back foot, Hazare that after a string graft scandals.

'We unanimously its have appealed to Anna Hazare quickly to do this,' said Sitaram Yechury, head of the Communist Party of India, reporters for the all parties meet in New Delhi.

The parties said in a statement that they had agreed that the final version of the proposed draft is to "for a strong and effective Lokpal (anti-corruption Ombudsman) supported by a broad national consensus were".

Hazare, who since August 16 has not eaten, said that the version that is too weak submitted by the Government.

Singh had offered a number of concessions on Tuesday team, rejected also by the activist, a guarantee that the whole Parliament would discuss his version of the legislation.

"No one can accept such claims - Parliament is untouchable," said the Communist Party of Yechury. "

However reporters Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, that the all party meeting decided that Hazare the proposed version of the anti-graft account ' would "be taken into account in the drafting of the law."

Hazare is staging in Delhi, now in its ninth day, in a large open-air venue its protest, where tens of thousands of flag-waving every day to cheer on the man gathered supporters, has become a symbol of national dissent.

' I have only six kilos (13 pounds). There are concerns about my kidney. But I'm all derive strength ' Hazare said in a speech of his set design of the amount earlier in the day.

Hazare keeps his fast on a huge photo of India's independence icon Mahatma Gandhi, and says that his protest is a second war of independence.

His anti-corruption drive brought people to the streets of the cities in the country are demanding an end to the culture of corruption that permeates all levels of Indian society.

The breadth and depth of support for the campaign has shaken Singh's Congress-led Government, whose own anti-corruption credentials through a series of multi billion dollar scandals have been spoiled.

With Hazare only drinking water and refusing all food fears for his health under the team of doctors to monitor his vital signs are mounting.

"We recommended last night, for security reasons, he... admitted that in the hospital but he refused, should be move", the head of the medical team said Naresh Trehan, reporters.

In a letter to Hazare on Tuesday fell Singh a pointedly conciliatory tone, saying that his Government together Hazare the desire for the strongest possible anti-corruption laws.

He said "At worst, our ways and methods can be different, though I think that the differences have exaggerated,".

"I have no qualms about, say, that we your views and actions in the service of the nation, from a robust physical condition and not as part of the frail or refrain from health must", he added.

Hazare finished a previous hunger strike after 96 hours in April, when the Government agreed, activists and politicians in the development of the anti-corruption law to integrate Committee.

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| Source: newagebd.com