bdnews24.com :Sona Masjid land port at Chapainawabganj is experiencing a massive congestion of goods imported from India as they cannot be unloaded due to shortage of trucks amid the BNP’s countrywide non-stop transport blockade.The disruption in unloading goods has already left several hundreds of workers at the port jobless and is causing a loss of Tk 15 million to the national exchequer everyday.During a visit to the land port on Thursday, this correspondent found over 500 trucks waiting to unload goods but workers there passing idle time.Panama Port Link Ltd’s Administrative Officer Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal told bdnews24.com export-import activities through the port had been disrupted from Jan 9 to Jan 18 due to the blockade enforced since Jan 5.This company is the port operator at Sina Masjid land port.But the port resumed on Jan 19 on assurance by top administrative officials that security would be ensured there, he added.Kamal said number of import consignments passing through the port has sharply declined last month.”In January 5,250 trucks with imported goods came to the port from India against 8,750 in December. However, over 1,000 trucks arrived here in the first three days of this month,” he said.According to Kamal, around 3,500 Bangladeshi trucks carried goods from the port to different parts of the country under police, RAB and BGB escorts amid the non-stop blockade and several strikes since early last month.He said daily loading and unloading of goods had now declined to around 200 trucks from 500 trucks before the blockade. Labourers at the port started facing financial hardship as they have been workless.A worker from Shialmara village, Mantu Mia, told bdnews24.com his earning had dropped sharply due to the disruption in unloading goods.
