Export, import, cargo delivery and related operations at Bangladesh’s land ports have stopped as customs officials joined the “complete shutdown” initiated by National Board of Revenue (NBR) staffers. However, Mamun Kabir Tarafdar, deputy director of Benapole Land Port, said while passport passenger services remain normal, import-export activities through Benapole Port have been suspended since Saturday morning due to a protest by customs officials. Indian trucks delivering goods during this period will still be allowed to return to India after unloading at the port, he added. The same programme is being observed at customs houses in other land ports in solidarity with the protest, resulting in a halt at customs operations related to import and export since Saturday morning. At the Benapole Customs House on Saturday, banners were seen hanging at the gate, preventing entry into the office, and officials’ desks were left empty.
