Trucks carrying limestone have been unable to pass through Dawki’s land port into Bangladesh because of a lack of BSNL internet services there, the Meghalaya International Exporters Chamber of Commerce (MIECC) has said.
Vehicles have been stuck at the land port since Monday as the Customs Department is refusing to pass manual export bills any longer. The system is meant to operate entirely on the EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) system. Manual billing, which had been used in the past, is now completely disallowed.
Expressing concern, Dolly Khonglah of the MIECC, stated that the Customs Department will only permit BSNL internet for the EDI system and not other network providers.
“Customs insists that only BSNL is acceptable, even though BSNL’s connectivity is unreliable and inconsistent,” Khonglah said. “As a result, smaller exporters have been forced to keep their trucks at the port, unable to process bills due to the lack of internet connectivity.”
Drivers are struggling to make ends meet since trade has come to a halt. “Despite efforts by the land port authorities to arrange BSNL connectivity, the situation remains unchanged. But who is to blame? BSNL claims the problem is due to damaged underground lines caused by road construction and, in such a scenario, what more can the land port authorities do? Other networks do provide internet but Customs rules prohibit their use,” added Khonglah.
The MIECC official said that the organisation understands the intent behind the EDI system but is of the opinion that it should only be insisted on when the requisite internet infrastructure is in place. “Why aren’t exporters allowed to generate bills manually, as was done in the past? This would ensure that trade doesn’t come to a standstill. Alternatively, if the Customs Department insists on the EDI-only system, it must take responsibility and find a way to generate bills and allow exports to proceed via Dawki land port,” Khonglah said, pointing to the losses experienced by drivers, exporters and the government due to this block in trade.
