During its good old days, Bera River Port was renowned across the whole subcontinent. The one of the oldest river ports of the country then thrived with the hustles and bustles of thousands of traders from dawn to dusk. But with the advent of time, the once prosperous river port has now become derelict.
At one time, the main export good for Bengal was jute which was considered as one of the finest products in markets all over the world.
Once upon a time the river port of Bera was bustling with life. The busy port was a transit point for sending goods to their destinations and for transporting crops to different parts of the country. It was once the biggest river port in the country and was constantly filled with noise and activity.
In earlier days, majority of jute production in the country was limited to the northern and southern regions. The jute mills were mostly situated in along the banks of rivers in Narayanganj and Dhaka and so the transportation of jute was reliant on the river transport system.
The confluence of the rivers Ichhamati, Hurasagar and Jamuna was considered to be a safe and convenient place for river transport system, and so Bera was well known to the businessmen of that era.
The river transport system of our country was further strengthened when Bera port became known to the sea port authorities and other river port authorities. Huge boats capable of carrying loads of 2000 maunds anchored at the port. Agricultural goods produced in the northern regions such as jute, tobacco and potatoes along with salt, rice, kerosene were transported frequently to different parts of the country.
The port also held a haat twice every week, on Saturdays and on Tuesdays. People from all over the country came to purchase rice, jute, cloth and other goods from the bazaar. The bazaar was a big part of the economy and contributed greatly to the region’s prosperity.
The transport system in our country has greatly improved in the last few decades and our economy is no longer reliant on the river transport system of olden days. Many great rivers have dried up and hundreds of seaports now lie abandoned. Bera seaport is just one name amongst those hundreds. The once vibrant seaport with a hundred year old history is now just a shell of its old self, standing alone and forgotten.
