All quiet on eastern front: B'desh unrest grinds Petrapole biz to a halt

Ganesh Datta cremated his wife on Monday and is now heading back home to Bangladesh. She had been battling cancer.

Since earlier this week, Bangladesh has been in the throes of a political crisis — a student agitation has cost Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina her seat of power, a new government led by Nobel laureate Muhammed Yunus has been sworn in, and there is hope for a return to normalcy.
 

To Datta, however, these developments pale in comparison to his personal loss. “My wife is dead. I am in great pain,” he said, burdened by grief as he made his way toward the passenger terminal at the Petrapole or Haridaspur land check post, one of the entry points for people travelling from Bangladesh into India (Benapole is the land port on the other side of the border).
 

 

Among the thousands who come to India from Bangladesh daily for medical treatment, Datta’s wife was one. But the movement of people has dwindled over the past few days due to the unrest in the neighbouring country.
 

The effect? Haridaspur, which accounts for the third-highest percentage of foreign tourist arrivals after Delhi and Mumbai, has fallen quiet. The long queues have disappeared; those currently crossing the border mostly have pressing reasons.

 

Caught off-guard
 

Namita Sarkar, who has relatives on the Indian side, had come on a pilgrimage. She is now hurrying back. “The situation in Bangladesh is very bad. My son and daughter are there. I have to go back.”
 

For Ramola Majumdar, the unrest in Bangladesh came as a rude shock. She landed in the neighbouring country for a short trip with her daughter, only to be caught in the middle of civil unrest. “We could not go anywhere. We are just happy to be back.”

Shehla and Zakir Ahmed also cut short their trip to Bangladesh. “We went to meet our relatives. But we are not sure what will happen next and thought it best to return,” Shehla said.
 

She also pointed out that bus operations were not running smoothly. “Direct buses are not running. Only transit buses are operating.”
 

Apurba Kumar Seal, visiting India with relatives, has already overstayed. “We are also out of money now.” But the 30-year-old schoolteacher is not harbouring hope for a change in Bangladesh.
 

Indian visa application centres in Bangladesh have been closed “till further notice” due to the “unstable situation.”

The total passenger movement in FY24 was 2.3 million. The under-construction modern structure that will house the new passenger terminal underscores the growing passenger movement.
 

According to locals, daily crossings range between 6,000-7,000 people, but it is now down to a tenth of that.

Trade woes
 

A few kilometres from the border check post, trucks are parked along the road, idling. Business confidence has taken a hit due to the deteriorating law and order situation, and exporters are apprehensive about loading trucks.

According to Sajal Ghosh, general secretary of the Federation of West Bengal Truck Operators Association, there was a huge backlog, and about 550 trucks were waiting at Petrapole. “Until law and order is restored, exporters don’t want to load trucks.”

However, he said around 149 trucks had gone to Bangladesh from Petrapole on Thursday — less than half the usual number.

About 80 kms from Kolkata, the land port at Petrapole, operational since February 2016, is the largest land port in South Asia. Nearly 30 per cent of land-based trade between India and Bangladesh takes place through this port.

“All eyes are now on the new government,” Jayanta Chakraborty, chairperson of the agri and rural development committee of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said.

“Offices have started reopening, but it will take time for trade to be restored. The law and order situation is still not quite stable, which is making the business community apprehensive,” he added.

The total trade at the Petrapole border was Rs 30,420.92 crore in FY24. 

Ecosystem takes a hit

Money changers dotting the area are glued to their phones, trying to catch any news from Bangladesh. A flicker of hope is what they are looking for.

Karttik Chandra Ghosh, who has been operating since 1977, said business had come to a standstill. “We are just sitting idle.”

Next to him, another money changer said: “This place is generally buzzing. Just see how deserted it is now.”

Small-time hotels and restaurants are also feeling the heat. It has been four days since Swapan Kumar Dey shut down Simanta Hotel. “On a good day, the footfall is 100-150. Now, there are hardly any people.”

“I have nothing to do and am just sitting here. But I am not sure when we can restart the hotel.”

Across the road, Narayan Mondol, who has a small stall selling chips and toffees, is also counting losses. Moreover, with the trader movement now virtually halted, Mondol has run out of supplies of Bangladeshi goods.