India imposes port restrictions on import of select Bangladeshi goods
New Delhi: India has announced new restrictions on the import of certain goods from Bangladesh, allowing them to enter the country only through specific seaports. According to a notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the new rules take immediate effect.
Under the revised guidelines, products such as readymade garments, processed food items, fruit-flavoured drinks, carbonated beverages, cotton and cotton yarn waste, plastic and PVC finished goods (excluding raw materials like pigments and granules), and wooden furniture can now only be imported via the Nhava Sheva and Kolkata seaports.
The notification explicitly states that these items will not be permitted through any Land Customs Stations (LCSs) or Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) in the northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram, as well as through LCSs at Changrabandha and Fulbari in West Bengal.
However, the DGFT clarified that these port restrictions will not apply to Bangladeshi goods transiting through India en route to Nepal or Bhutan.
Certain essential goods, including fish, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), edible oil, and crushed stone are exempt from the new restrictions and can continue to be imported through land ports.
The development comes amid rising tensions between India and Bangladesh. Last month, on April 13, Bangladesh halted the export of Indian yarn through land routes. Two days later, it also stopped Indian rice exports via the Hili and Benapole ICPs in West Bengal.
Diplomatic ties further strained after Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, made remarks in China suggesting strategic dominance over India’s northeastern states. “The eastern part of India, known as the Seven Sisters, is landlocked. They have no access to the ocean. We are the only guardians of the ocean in this region,” Yunus said, hinting at regional cooperation with Chinese industries.
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4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
