by 
Taifur Rahman, Special Correspondent:
The two-day complete shutdown and prolonged work stoppage by customs and tax officials severely disrupted import-export activities at Chattogram Port, leading to significant congestion and long traffic jams. This caused a major impact on government revenue collection. Business leaders claim that the shutdown resulted in losses worth several thousand crore taka in the import-export trade.
Following an urgent government directive on Sunday (June 29) night, customs officials resumed work. The government stated that the customs department is part of "essential services," making it impermissible to continue the work stoppage. Consequently, operations at Chattogram Port and other key land and sea ports across the country began to normalize gradually. However, delays in processing pending files continue to cause bottlenecks.
According to ASM Rezaul Karim Swapan, Customs Affairs Secretary of the Chattogram Customs Agents Association, around 7,000 bills of entry and export are typically processed daily. The shutdown halted file processing, which has now resumed but with delays due to the backlog. Businesses reported complications in importing raw materials and exporting goods, as well as disruptions in the arrival and departure of mother vessels at the port. This has led to fines ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 per day for vessels waiting at the outer anchorage.
Businesses have demanded a waiver of the fourfold increase in port storage rent, arguing that they should not bear the cost of delays caused by the officials’ strike. Saqif Ahmed Salam, a director of BGMEA, highlighted that the garment sector faced significant losses due to delayed deliveries, which could lead to demands for air shipments or discounts from foreign buyers, posing a financial challenge.
Mohammad Omar Faruk, Secretary of the Chattogram Port Authority, stated that port operations resumed fully on Monday morning. He expressed optimism that the situation would normalize soon. The strike was in protest of the government’s plan to dissolve the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and create two separate departments, a decision customs officials view as a direct threat to their administrative structure and efficiency.
Businesses and stakeholders hope for a permanent resolution to prevent further disruptions to the country’s critical revenue-generating sector.
