Import of coal from the Indian states of Meghalaya and Assam through six
land customs station of Sylhet region resumed yesterday.
Coal import came to a halt on April1 1 as the Indian exporters stopped supply, protesting sudden rise in excise duty.
Around 30,000 labourers at the land customs stations remained jobless for ten days due to the suspension of the import.
A six-member team went to Assam and Meghalaya on April 5 and sat with
the Meghalaya Exporters Association in Shillong and Karimganj District
Exporter & Importers Association and Assam Exporter & Importers
Association the following day.
At the separate meetings, the Indian
exporters assured the Bangladesh team of resuming coal export from April
10, said Chandan Saha, general secretary of Coal Importers Group,
Sylhet.
Fifty-seven coal-laden trucks entered Bangladesh through the
Sheola land customs station yesterday, said Sunandan Das,
superintendent of the station. Coal import through the five other
stations will resume in two or three days, he added.
About 15 lakh
tons of coal is imported through the 6 land customs stations in
Sylhet-Sunamganj region. These are Tamabil, Sheola and Bholaganj in
Sylhet, and Barchhara, Bagli and Charagaon in Sunamganj.
