Trade Resumes at Hili Land Port After Eight-Day Closure

Import and export activities between India and Bangladesh have resumed at the Hili land port in Dinajpur after a closure lasting eight consecutive days. The port's operations returned to normal from 12:15 pm on Saturday (24 October), following the long break for Durga Puja combined with the weekly holiday.

The resumption was confirmed by Shahinur Islam Mondol, general secretary of the Hili Customs C&F Agents Association. According to him, the restart has set goods transport and commercial activity between the two countries in motion again.

Shahinur Islam Mondol said that cargo imports from India and exports from Bangladesh through Hili had remained suspended since 16 October for Durga Puja, the principal religious festival of the Hindu community. With the festival holidays and the weekly holiday combined, the closure stretched to eight straight days.

Soon after operations restarted, goods-laden trucks from India began entering the port. After unloading, the goods are being loaded onto domestic trucks and sent to destinations across the country, according to those involved.

The port area has begun to regain its usual bustle after the long pause. Port sources said all internal activities of the port, including import and export handling, have resumed.

Passenger movement, however, never stopped during these eight days. Travel by passport holders of Bangladesh and India through the Hili immigration checkpoint remained normal throughout the closure.

Zakaria, officer-in-charge of the Hili Immigration Checkpoint, said that although cargo import and export through the land port was suspended for Durga Puja, passenger travel through the immigration checkpoint did not stop. Passenger crossings remained normal on Saturday as well, he said.

A halt to trade through a land port means a temporary standstill in the supply chain for goods moving along that route. With operations resumed, that standstill has begun to ease for importers, exporters, C&F agents and transport workers.

Port stakeholders expect the pace of imports and exports to rise further in the coming days and the backlog built up during the closure to gradually clear.

The port's return to activity after the festival holidays is welcome news for border trade. Attention now turns to how quickly commercial operations can shake off the eight-day pause and return to their old rhythm.