Clearance of imports at Benapole, which is the largest land port of Bangladesh, has been hit due to dysfunctional cranes and forklifts at the port, claimed some media reports.
According to the reports which cited importers and officials of the Benapole C&F Association, recent breakdown of a 25-tonne capacity forklift coupled with five cranes that reportedly remain out of order at most time along with four five-tonne forklifts that have become dysfunctional for a long time, have hit the entire process of handling and clearance of goods at the all-important land port so much so that many have expressed apprehensions work might come to a grinding halt if the issues were not addressed immediately.
As per General Secretary of C&F Staff Association Sajedur Rahman, trucks laden with goods are forced to remain inside the port for many days even if they get permission to unload as port users can’t manage a crane or forklift to extract the goods.
The cumbersome clearance process on account of the same and shortage of storage space have now rendered goods worth millions of Takas being left out in the open.
It may be mentioned here that raw materials and majority of machinery used in the country’s industrial units, including the readymade garment sector of Bangladesh, are imported through this port.
