Chittagong port: Additional entry fee retracted, cargo transportation resumes

The cargo owners have called off their strike following the cancellation of the additional entry fee at the Chittagong Port. The decision came following a meeting between the owners and port authorities today, Sunday.

The leaders later withdrew their programme of refraining from driving trucks. With this goods transportation resumed in full swing from 5:30 pm. This ended the deadlock in container and goods movement through the port.

From 15 October, a 41 per cent fee was implemented at the port. Among these, the entry fee for heavy vehicles, which was previously Tk 57, was increased fourfold to Tk 230.

Following this, vehicle owners stopped operating without any prior notice. For the first three days, only imported cargo vehicles remained inactive. Later, from yesterday, Saturday, all types of cargo vehicles ceased operations.

The meeting between the cargo vehicle owners and port authorities was held under this context. In the meeting, Chittagong Port chairman Rear Admiral SM Moniruzzaman assured the vehicle owners about retracting the additional fees and issuing a gazette regarding this within the next seven days.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Truck and Covered Van Owners Association joint secretary Md Yusuf Mazumder said the gazette is supposed to be issued within the next seven days. The entry fees will also be collected at the previous rate of Tk 57. So the strike has been called off.