BANGLADESH

Amid anxiety over the lingering transit issue, first commercial consignment from India with transshipment cargo destined for Tripura has entered Bangladesh.

The consignment that goes to Akhaura from Ashuganj river port offers an opportunity to earn revenue.

Four trucks with 100 tonnes of galvanised steel started from Ashuganj, a transshipment point, to Akhaura on Tuesday evening, and it would cross the border on Wednesday, Sheikh Mahfuz Hamid, managing director of Gulf Orient, told the bdnews24.com.

Gulf Orient has been assigned the job of transporting goods from Kolkata to Akhaura. The same company is also responsible for transporting over-dimensional cargoes for 726 megawatt Palatana power plant in Tripura.

The vessel, Homibaba, carrying 300 tonnes of steel anchored at Ashuganj port on Sep 1, but due to customs formalities, the shipment of the first consignment got delayed, according to Mahfuz.

The rest of 200 tonnes would be shipped this week, he added.

"Another two ships carrying galvanised steel and steel ingots have also entered Bangladesh," Mahfuz said.

FETCHING REVENUE

Bangladesh would be earning $50 a tonne for transshipment of the products, the Gulf Orient MD said.

"If the transshipped products are loaded or unloaded manually, the revenue will be $37, but if small cranes are used, the rate is $50, while in case of big cranes, it will be $72," he explained.

The amount is earned under different heads, including vessel and truck fares, BIWTA loading charge, river toll or berthing charge, C&F commission and labour charge.

"All the revenue will be in foreign currency and the government will collect 8.5 per cent income tax and VAT on the total amount," Mahfuz said.

FUTURE BOOKINGS

Gulf Orient alone would be transshipping some 5,000 tonnes of HR coil in October and 16,000 tonnes of bitumen by December, he said.

"In October, $3,50,000 can be earned by providing the service."

There are other operators also allowed to carry transit and transshipped goods.

"There are raw materials to be used in the north-eastern states of India and it is expected that more volume of cargoes will be transshipped if it becomes popular," he hoped.

India has been demanding since '80s to transship goods through Ashuganj river port from Kolkata to Tripura, and the port became the second transshipment point in May last year.

Bangladesh during the visit of Indian premier Manmohan Singh early September reportedly refused to sign transit-related exchange of letter as the two countries failed to strike Teesta water deal.

However, the joint communiqué issued on Sep 7 asked the authorities concerned to expedite the process to complete the transit formalities.

The government imposed transit and transshipment fee at a rate of Tk 10,000 per container and Tk 1,000 per tonne on bulk cargo in 2010-11 budget, but it was withdrawn later.