Karim Mia, a labourer involved in loading and unloading imported goods at Burimari Land Port under Patgram upazila, and five of his family members are passing days in severe hardship for the last one week due to suspension of import through the port.

Like Karim, around 5,000 labourers working in and around the land port and their families are passing days half-fed or starved while the government is incurring heavy losses in revenue due to the unwanted situation.

Clearing and Forwarding Agents' Association  sources said according to a recent NBR directive the customs authorities have imposed a new law that all the imported goods must be unloaded at the customs yard first in presence of the customs officials instead of their own warehouses.

Protesting the embargo, traders and importers at the port stopped importing goods through the port from India and Bhutan for the last one week as the new system will increase the loading, unloading and carrying costs of the imported goods.

The customs officials, however, claimed that the traders themselves are trying to create troubles as they won't be able to continue their malpractice of false declaration to evade taxes.

Contacted, Safar Uddin, president of Sangjukta Sramik Federation at the port, said hundreds of labourers were struggling to manage of food for their families due to the troublesome situation at the port.

Ruhul Amin Babul, convener of Burimari Land Port C&F Agents Association, said due to the new act the importers will have to count additional cost.

Billal Hossain, assistant commissioner of customs at the land port, said they have already informed the authorities concerned for taking initiatives to solve the deadlock.