UNB, Sunamganj :
Import of coal through three land customs stations-Borochhara, Charagoan and Bagli-in Uttar Sreepur union under Tahirpur upazila have remained suspended over the last two and a half months depriving the government of huge revenue income.
Due to the suspension of coal import, thousands of labourers working in and around the customs stations are currently passing days in severe hardship while more than 500 traders involved with coal import are incurring heavy losses.
Talking to the UNB correspondent recently, Abdul Barik, general secretary of Bagli Land Port Sramik Sangha, said many of them were now struggling to manage meals for their families and passing days half-starved.
Echoing the workers’ leader, president of Chargaon Coal Importers’ Association Alkas Uddin Khandaker said about 10,000 workers involved in loading, unloading and carrying of coal are now struggling to maintain their families as coal import has remained halted for over two months, adding that many traders were facing critical situation too.
Sources at the Customs offices said the government is being deprived of revenue income amounting to about Tk one crore a day due to closure of coal import.
Tahirpur Upazila chairman Kamruzzaman Kamrul said the closure of the customs stations has left the workers unemployed and lessened revenue earnings of the upazila.
If operation of the customs stations remains suspended for some more days, incidents of theft and robbery will increase in the area, locals feared.
They urged the government to take effective steps to reopen the closed customs stations for benefit of both the traders and workers.
Coal importers’ sources said an environmental organisation filed a case with the High Court of India alleging that unplanned coal extraction from mines in the hills of Meghalaya was causing environmental degradation posing threat to the lives of the coal workers.
As the case is still pending with the Indian High Court, export and import of coal through the customs stations has remained suspended since May 1 this year.
