Bangasonahat, the 18th landport of the country in Kurigram , lies in rundown state as the infrastructre work yet to be completed after it was opened on April 28, 2014.
When visited, it was found that some tin-shed houses were made by locals in the port area. But the initiative taken by the government was totally absent.
The port sources said traders fear that the port might collapse anytime as the concern authoriies did not take steps to develop it.
The traders pay taxes to do business without having access to the facilities they need, with the government appearing to be indifferent to improving infrastructures.
The traders were allowed to import 10 types of products from India.
Of the ten, they can import only one thing.
But they cannot export any sort of product through the port.
Business with Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya is easy and cost-effectivve.
The government in the first four months earned Tk8 crore in revenue from local traders who imported only coal and rock. But now it cannot earn so much.
Traders are importing rock from India through the port located in Bhurungimari upazila, but the import and export of all the products permitted by governments of both countries has not yet begun.
Traders in the upazila say this has made them face losses.
Port workers meanwhile say they are forced to accept low wages as import and export activities are yet to begin in full swing. They also say they are devoid of fair payments due to the lack of complete infrastructure.
Ataul, a porter, says the labour leaders recruiting more and more workers in exchange for their own benefits has aggravated the problem.
“There are now many workers who remain unemployed. As for me, I can load and unload goods from only two to three trucks a week, earning a mere Tk400-500. This is impossible to run my family with this paltry sum.”
Shahin Ahmed, a local trader, said the lack of proper infrastructure had slowed down business to a greater extent.
Another problem is that the Sonahat railway bridge, which connects the Dudhkumar River, is a risky route, which has caused business expenses to go up.
Transport communication is not good at all for the traders. They cannot carry goods as 12-kilometer road from Kurigram to Sonahat, 18-kilometer road from Bhurungamari to Kurigram have been lying in poor state.
According to locals, when vehicles ply the road, they cannot stay in home due to dusk and dirt as the narrow road pass by their home.
Truck driver Biplob said the vehicle might stuck and the escalator breakdown anytime due to bad-shape of the road.
Moloykumar Chakrabarti, engineer of Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), said the roads were under the port authority. They would take step to repair it.
Assistant Commissioner of Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate in Kurigram, Parvej Reza Chodhury, said the authorities should focus on resolving the problems that traders are facing not only to increase revenue but to boost import and export as well.
Md Alam Haider, president of Bangasonahat Port Eport Import Association, urged the authorities to build the required infrastructures.
