Banglabandha Customs’ Daily Bribes Top Tk 5 Lakh Assistant Commissioner gets angry when media workers ask for information
A Based Panchagarh Correspondent: Customs bribery and trade exceeding half a million taka daily at Banglabandha Land Port prompted media workers to seek information from Assistant Commissioner Ishaq Ali.
When questioned about the government’s revenue from the import and export activities at Banglabandha Land Port during the previous fiscal year, he responded with various political narratives instead of providing the requested information. When the media workers sought his assistance in obtaining information, he reacted angrily, stating, “I have no job; will I lose my position if I share your information?” The National Board of Revenue forbids journalists from accessing any information. What is your interest in this information? You must come with the Commissioner’s permission to receive any details. When the media workers protested, the officer became agitated and ordered them to leave his office. On Monday afternoon, Assistant Commissioner Md. Ishaq Ali behaved inappropriately towards several senior media workers from Panchagarh district at the Banglabandha Land Port station. Subsequently, when the affected journalists attempted to contact the Commissioner of Customs in Rangpur to report the incident, the Commissioner was unavailable at that moment. However, the Commissioner’s protocol officer expressed regret upon hearing the situation and stated that such behavior towards media workers was unacceptable. He promptly assured the journalists that he would relay the entire matter to the Commissioner. It has been reported that this officer, who has held his position for the past year, has recently been ordered to be transferred. Consequently, in recent days, he has been summoning traders and C&Fs, issuing verbal orders demanding that arrears of illegal income be paid to him within 24 hours. As the traders and C&Fs have not complied with his unlawful directives, he has been particularly aggressive over the last two days. In this context, he has shown displeasure at the presence of media workers and the collection of information.
Banglabandha Land Port is the only four-country trade land port in the country. The financial trade of this port with India, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh is going on as expected. Stone is a major import area in this port. Potatoes, jute, medicines, rural jhoot and various other approved products are being exported. Ishaq Ali, Assistant Commissioner of Customs of Banglabandha Land Port, has been illegally collecting money from the consignment of imports and exports by trapping traders in various ways. Currently, it has become an undeclared bribery-trade practice in the port. Customs collects 10 taka from every ton of stone exported through this port through the related CNF agents. 5 thousand taka is collected from the concession for each exported product. A minimum of 5 thousand to 15 thousand tons of stone enters through this port every day. The export rate is also very high. That is, the illegal income of the customs from the port every day is more than half a million taka. The official understood the daily account from the concerned CNFs on the last day of the week. This continuity has been going on for a long time. To avoid embarrassment, the traders have been providing this illegal money through their C&Fs.
The traders, who do not want to be named, said that if they do not pay the bribe money, the customs harasses them with various tricks. As a result, they are forced to pay this bribe to avoid embarrassment. Although the government has given more importance to the financial and trade sector in the prevailing situation of the country, the customs officials at this Banglabandha port in Panchagarh are busy with illegal income in the name of collecting national revenue. This unwanted pressure on the traders has had a negative impact on business and commerce. Many traders have turned their backs on this port due to the irregularities and corruption of the customs. As a result, the government is being deprived of revenue at an alarming rate. Media workers of Panchagarh district and conscious people and businessmen of the area have demanded the immediate withdrawal of this corrupt and hot-tempered official from Banglabandha land port.
