Although the ongoing blockade continues to put constraints on the supply chain of essential goods and export items throughout the country, the situation on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway has been comparatively better than other major highways in the country, stakeholders have claimed.
They said despite assigning Border Guard Bangladesh personnel for escorting goods-laden vehicles on the roads, normal operations have not yet returned on the roads situated in the northern districts.
“The Dhaka-Chittagong Highway is one of the busiest internal trade routes in Bangladesh, and it is now fully free from violence as trucks are being driven under police and BGB escort,” said Rustom Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Covered Van and Truck Owners Association.
“In the last couple of days, the hiring rate for trucks [on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway] have reduced to Tk8,000-Tk10,000; it used to be Tk20,000 for a single trip when the blockades began.” But even with BGB protection, the truck rates from Dhaka to the northern districts are currently around Tk20,000-Tk24,000, Rustom said.
Nirod Baran Saha, president of the Naogaon Rice Traders Association, said truck owners are currently charging Tk24,000 for transporting rice from Naogaon to Dhaka, while the usual cost was Tk15,000. For a Naogaon-Chittagong trip, the truck-hiring rate was between Tk40,000 and Tk45,000 – almost twice than the regular Tk25,000 cost, Nirod said.
He, however, added: “The BGB is providing escort to trucks going to Dhaka from Naogaon by avoiding troublesome areas like Sirajganj and Bogra. Most trucks are going to Dhaka through Natore and Jamuna Bridge”. Nirod also cautioned that the price of every kilogram of rice might increase by Tk1 because of the additional transportation costs. Farmers cultivating Irri-Boro rice in the northern districts might also face fertiliser and oil shortage if the transportation crisis continued for the next 15 days, he warned.
However, claims of supply chain disruption were snubbed out by Hedayetullah Al Mamoon, senior secretary for the Commerce Ministry, who told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday: “We are yet to receive any complain from the business community regarding disruptions of supply chain.”
“Sudden arson attacks on trucks and cars on the roads and highways are isolated incidents which have no impact on the supply chain of essentials items across the country,” the senior secretary said.
Meanwhile, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Director General Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed yesterday said: “We have started coordinating the government patrol on the highways and roads across the country.
“A total of 50,000 trucks and vehicles travelled across the country during last two days [on January 19 and 20],” he also said .
The BGB chief added that approximately 30,000 trucks and buses travelled on the Rajshahi-Dhaka–Chittagong route during this time.
State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan yesterday also confirmed that at least 25 people have been killed – mostly in arson attacks – since the BNP-led 20-party’s countrywide indefinite blockade began on January 6.
