B Mirror Desk : In violation of the regulations, a number of businesses have unlawfully imported refrigerant—the gas used in air conditioners and refrigerators—worth about half a billion taka. If the Department of Explosives and the Department of Environment are not closely examined, there is a chance of a serious accident. In a letter to the Department of Environment, Tarafdar Sohel Rahman, Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce’s Export Promotion Bureau, said that the government was losing out on a significant portion of its earnings.
According to information obtained, the Secretary has filed a formal complaint with the Director General of the Department of Environment, calling for stringent legal action against the C&F businesses and refrigerant importers who made fraudulent statements. At the moment, he is the Bangladesh Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Merchants Association’s (BRAMA) administrator.
On Sunday, a written complaint in this regard was sent to the Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, the Director General of the Customs Intelligence and the Chief Explosive Inspector, and the concerned persons. It is mentioned that on April 12, the Department of Environment approved the refrigerant import license in favor of the 2025 HFC quota. Some companies have imported refrigerant and unloaded the goods from the port before the license was approved. Similarly, imported refrigerant containers are waiting to be unloaded at Chittagong Port.
It is further mentioned that it is mandatory for the C&F agent to submit the refrigerant product unloading documents along with the refrigerant import license issued by the Department of Environment. The license mentions the type of refrigerant, the amount of approval, and the import period. Where the license was not approved, by which method did the customs authorities, including the examiner, deliver the goods through 100% examination? He questioned.
A firm has been permitted to receive 1244.20 kg of R-40C gas by the Department of Environment. However, that business brought in 6798 kg illegally. According to an analysis of data from the National Board of Revenue, 230.20 tons of gas were exempt. In this instance, the majority of the products were illegally cleared from customs by a Chittagong-based company acting as a C&F agent.
“After receiving several complaints regarding this, I have alerted the Department of Environment,” Tarafdar Sohel Rahman, the administrator of Bramar and secretary of the Ministry of Commerce’s Export Promotion Bureau, told the media. because companies that import refrigerant are granted licenses by them. In this respect, they will act.
