Ongoing protests in Bangladesh have led to significant losses for Indian exporters: North Bengal Exporters Association

Jalpaiguri (West Bengal) [India], August 6 (ANI): Secretary of the North Bengal Exporters Association, Brij Kishore Prasad, stated on Tuesday that the ongoing protests in Bangladesh have led to significant losses for Indian exporters.

According to Prasad, the closure of the border has resulted in vehicles being stranded and shipments already dispatched being unable to be unloaded.

He added that with a curfew in place and banks closed, payments for shipped goods are not being received.

“In any country, when there is agitation or protest, a crisis inevitably follows… For the past 15-20 days, the border has been closed, causing vehicles to be stranded at the border. The ongoing protests have halted all exports, and even shipments that have already been dispatched cannot be unloaded due to the protests. Consequently, many vehicles are stuck, and exporters are incurring detention fines of Rs 2,000 per day. This has resulted in significant losses for exporters,” he told ANI.

“Additionally, the current situation in Bangladesh, with a curfew in place and banks closed, means that payments for shipped goods are not being received. The condition of exporters has been bad for the last 15-20 days they have been facing losses. Per Rs 20 crore loss (due to protest in Bangladesh),” he told ANI.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday informed the lower house of Parliament that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will make a statement on the situation in Bangladesh.

Birla informed the House after Question Hour concluded that Jaishankar will make a suo moto statement at 3.30 pm in Lok Sabha.

Jaishankar will also make a statement regarding the situation in Bangladesh at 2:30 pm in Rajya Sabha.

Bangladesh is facing a fluid political situation with Sheikh Hasina resigning from her post in the wake of mounting protests. The protests, majorly by students demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs, took the shape of anti-government protests.

In Dhaka, the leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement have proposed an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, in a bid to address Bangladesh’s ongoing challenges.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina arrived in India on Monday evening after tendering her resignation. It is not clear if Sheikh Hasina will continue to stay in Delhi or move to another location later.