The Hindu Business Line : `BSF stand hampering exports to Bangladesh'

THE country's exports to Bangladesh through the Hili land border in North Bengal, which now average around Rs 270 crore annually, are now seriously threatened by the problems exporters are facing through "overzealous" BSF personnel at Hili, says Mr Ashok Mondal, Secretary, Hili Exporters' & Customs Clearing Agents' Association.

He said the BSF, despite participating in a recent joint meeting chaired by the District Magistrate at his office on September 7, in which the timings for inflow and outflow of trucks through the border have been fixed, was now unwilling to budge from its own timings of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., creating a fresh crisis. The resolutions at the meeting were to have taken effect from September 8. Member exporters of the association, in a representation to the District Magistrate two days ago, had accused the BSF Commandant of 5BN at Hili of not honouring the resolutions finalised at a recent meeting chaired by the Magistrate to solve the trucks' outflow problem.

Exporters have appealed to the District Magistrate of South Dinajpur, Mr Romit Mutsuddi, to look into the matter urgently. According to Mr Mondal, if things do not improve within the next 10 days, exporters may be forced to resort to an indefinite strike from October 4. The two-way India-Bangladesh trade, mainly conducted through the several land border routes in West Bengal, is placed at around $1.2 billion during the first nine months of 2003-04.

The recent District Magistrate's meeting had decided that on average, some 20 vehicles should be released per hour through the check-post at Hili and that trucks will move towards Bangladesh on and from 9 a.m. positively. And if there be no incoming traffic, trucks outflow will resume at 8.00 a.m. or thereafter. Customs clearance was to take place till 4.55 p.m.

Additional checks by the BSF, after the final okay by the Customs at the ICP gate, is said to have led to unusual delays in trucks clearance, leading to a severe logjam completely choking the narrow approach road.

And the only way to circumvent this problem, say exporters, was to advance the timing for inflow-outflow of trucks. Apparently, the BSF personnel are not with the exporters on this. The delay in clearance is costing the exporters quite a packet by way of daily truck detention charges.

Additionally, exporters, particularly of perishables, are also having problems with personnel of the Balupara parking lot, who refuse to follow written instructions.

On entry of empty export trucks back into India from Bangladesh, BSF authorities have set the timing at 8 a.m. and they have expressed their inability to relax this further on ground of non-availability of personnel who are reportedly over-worked and have to perform various other duties apart from the Immigration Check Post duty.

Against a normal flow of around 150 trucks daily, the movement has trickled down to barely 65 trucks now, severely affecting export prospects through this important LCS point.

According to Mr Ujjal Saha, Hon. General Secretary, West Bengal Exporters' Coordination Committee (Federation), perishable commodities are exported in large volumes particularly through Hilli because of the presence of the huge market on Bangla Hili side.

Goods coming in from India are straightaway moved to another truck by the importer and taken to the market for immediate disposal through wholesale.

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