Business leaders requested the government to waive demurrage charges for delays in receiving and exporting products from ports over the last five days.
The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) has urged the authorities not to impose any new charges within 15 days of normalcy returning to shipment and import clearance procedures at ports.
The apex trade association made the demand in a statement issued by FBCCI President Mahbubul Alam, citing the inability of businesses to conduct export and import activity over the last week due to an internet blackout followed by a nationwide curfew.
The call came as business and economic activities resumed on Wednesday morning as the government restored broadband internet connections to selected areas and relaxed the curfew, which was imposed to quell violent protests that left at least 150 people dead since July 16.
The Chittagong port, which handles about 90 per cent of Bangladesh’s US $ 100 billion international trade, experienced container congestion due to issues with customs duty assessment and bill payments at banks in the absence of internet since 18th July.
