Trade between India and
Bangladesh through Petrapole land port of West Bengal resumed on Thursday after over a month, and the holy month of Ramzan seemed to have played a key role in breaking the deadlock.
Bangladesh through Petrapole land port of West Bengal resumed on Thursday after over a month, and the holy month of Ramzan seemed to have played a key role in breaking the deadlock.
Exporters see this as light at the end of the tunnel, since trade between the two good neighbours via this land port has been in deadlock over various issues including quarantine norms after India imposed the nationwide lockdown from March 25.
"Two trucks laden with 10 tonnes of Maize seeds and 25 tonnes of Mesta seeds from Indian side were transhipped to Bangladeshi trucks at the no man's land," Land Ports Authority of India (Petrapole) manager Suvajit Mandal told PTI.
On a normal day, 500-550 trucks cross the border from India and about 100-150 come from Bangladesh.
To allow movement of stranded trucks laden with goods at Petrapole land port, the West Bengal government had on Tuesday said it can permit only essential commodities to be sent to the neighbouring country, but transfer of cargo has to be done at the no man's land to avoid the quarantine conditions.
A lot of essential cargo is in demand from Muslim- majority Bangladesh in the month of Ramzan and importers there had placed requirements of food items like onion, ginger, chilly, betel leaves, baby food, liquid nitrogen and medicines, officials said.
"With Ramzan month beginning, the administration wanted to keep the ties with Bangladesh warm and relaxed their stand on the movement of trucks," an official said.
Exporters said a formula has been worked out to transfer goods directly from Indian trucks to Bangladeshi ones on the no man's land to avoid the regulation on quarantine.
According to rules, truckers have to go on a 14-day quarantine once they return from another country. Now, if a truck does not enter another country, there is no question of quarantine for the drivers and helpers.
Mandal said the loading-unloading operations were conducted with strict adherence to the WHO protocol for Covid-19.
Trucks loaded with 1,000 tonne of mesta and jute seeds are stuck at Petrapole.
The offloading at the no man's land is restricted for trucks carrying essential commodities. Of the 2,100 odd vehicles stuck in and around Petrapole, an estimated at 250- 300 are laden with such items, Mandal said adding that more will join once the news of transhipment spreads.
Under the present Covid-19 situation, the authorities requested that transhipment operation is restricted to day time, though in normal times, it is done 24X7, he said.
Customs clearing agents said now trucks from Nasik will start journey with onions which in high demand in Bangladesh during the month of Ramzan.
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