A major accident was narrowly avoided in the Tamabil land port area of Sylhet and surrounding regions on Saturday due to a fire in an Indian tanker which is used in carrying methanol.
However, as there was no methanol in the truck at the time, the Tamabil land port and its surrounding area in Sylhet were saved from significant damage.
Despite the lack of a secured zone, methanol, a hazardous fuel, continues to be imported from India.
Traders had previously raised concerns about the risk of such a fire incident.
According to sources, the fire occurred around 1:40pm on Saturday.
The fire spread panic throughout the entire Dawki-Tamabil border area.
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), police, and other law enforcement agencies rushed to the scene.
At the same time, other methanol-carrying tankers and trucks loaded with imported stones and coal were relocated to safer areas, while thousands of workers and people fled to safety in panic.
The local fire brigade of India's Dawki Land Port, assisted by local residents, managed to control the fire.
Following the incident, a fire service team led by Inspector Al-Amin from the Jaintapur Fire Service Station also rushed to the scene.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but reports suggest that the fire broke out in the front part of the tanker, which was empty of methanol at the time.
Methanol is a highly hazardous chemical (flammable and explosive) widely used in Bangladesh’s garment industry as well as for other industrial purposes. The chemical has been regularly imported from India through the Tamabil Land Port in Sylhet. In January this year, a large consignment of methanol-carrying tankers was held up at the Dawki Land Port for a week due to legal complexities. Eventually, the issue was resolved, and the tankers were cleared.
Since then, methanol imports via Tamabil Land Port have continued.
Local importers and traders, however, have expressed strong objections to the continued import of such hazardous chemicals via this land port.
The business community has raised alarms, questioning how the import of such dangerous chemicals is being allowed at the Tamabil Land Port, despite the lack of proper safety and inspection systems.
The traders have requested the government to stop the import of methanol through this route until proper safety measures, including a chemical lab, fire service station, and other infrastructure improvements, are implemented.
On November 9, the business leaders of the Tamabil Stone Importer Group, including Henry Lamin, Rafiqul Islam, Shahparan, Shah Rab Mia, Abdul Mannan, and Ismail Hossain, met with the Tamabil Port Authorities and Customs Revenue Officers.
They urged that the import of dangerous chemicals, including methanol, should be halted until the necessary infrastructure is in place.
In response, Amirul Haque, the Assistant Director of Tamabil Land Port, said that measures will be taken to offload methanol at safer, more remote locations in the future to avoid such incidents. He also confirmed that they have requested the Bangladesh Land Port Authority to establish a permanent fire service station at Tamabil Land Port to prevent further accidents.
