Coal import from Maghalaya Sate of India to has been held off for the last four months. It has created a huge trouble for the coal importers.
The small importers who mainly bring in coal from India and the workers are also suffering a lot. If the situation persists, some 4,000-5,000 workers will face unemployment, while the importers face losing business, said coal traders.
The coal import has been stoppedbecause of the injunction issued by the National Green Tribunal of India following a case filed by an environmentalist organisation of Maghalaya.
As per the injunction of the tribunal, the Indian government stopped extracting coal and exporting the same to Bangladesh.
As a result, the coal traders of Sylhetas well Bangladesh are in trouble with their Letter of Credit (LC) of over Tk.100 crore. If the traders fail to import coal for which they opened LC, they will have to pay a penalty of Tk. 20 crore for duty and advanced tax which they already paid.
In this connection, it has been learnt from the Coal Import Association, the coal tradersof India have appealed to the higher court seeking permission for importing of coal and the hearing date is scheduled on July 2.
Chandan Shaha, president of Coal Import Association of Sylhet, said, “The traders of Bangladesh had opened LC of Tk. about 150 crore, and coal of about Tk. 50 crore has been imported from May 17 to 31, and rest LC of Tk. 100 crore is pending. Many traders have taken money as loan from banks for LC. But as they could not import coal, they are to bear the burden of the interest of loan.”
He further said, “The traders of Bangladesh import coal in this season and stock them, and sell to the brick-kilns. But if coal cannot be imported, they cannot be sold.”
Bangladesh imports coal from neighbouring India through Barchhara, Charagaon and Bagli border check posts in Sunamganj and Tamabil land port in Sylhet.
A coal trader said that hundreds of people engaged in trading and importing coal and lime from India through eight land stations in the Sylhet division, more than 5000 labourers have been engaged in loading and unloading them there. They will face suffering a lot.
