A high-level meeting to discuss implementing the Centre’s new restrictions on the import of certain products from Bangladesh through land ports held at Agartala  Land Port.

The meeting on Monday was chaired by Dr Shailesh Kumar Yadav, Director of  Tripura Industries and Commerce department, highlighted the concerns related to the operations and procedures based on the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) order that restricted import of some items through any Land Customs Stations or Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura and LCS in West Bengal’s Changrabandha and Fulbari. These items include garments, plastic goods, wooden furniture, fruit drinks, and processed food items.

In the meeting, Dr Yadav said that some items, including edible oil, fish, LPG, and crushed stone, from Bangladesh would not come under restriction and trade with land ports would continue.

Officials of the Border Security Force (BSF), Customs, Immigration and other departments also attended the meeting.

Meanwhile, trade representatives including export-import traders welcomed the move, and committed to comply with the restriction as per the order of the union government and vowed to protect the interest of the country.

Unlike the western border with Pakistan, India’s eastern frontier with Bangladesh has been a friendly border for the last five decades until the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in August last year and the rise of a chief advisor’s rule and his recent comments.

It may be recalled here that Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has said that if Bangladesh were destabilized, it would affect West Bengal and Northeast India. During his March visit to China, Yunus said with Northeast India being “landlocked”, Bangladesh was the “only guardian of the ocean for all this region” — a statement widely interpreted as an attempt by Dhaka to assert its leverage over access to Northeast India — a matter of concern for Delhi.

Leaders across the political spectrum in India have strongly condemned these comments, terming them as indirect threats against India.

While, All-Tripura Merchant Association, says the restrictions will have a brief impact as the items imported from Bangladesh are also largely available in India

 Leaders of All-Tripura Merchant Association said Indian traders had been importing mainly six items worth crores of rupees through land ports in Tripura, but with the restrictions enforced, they will not be in a position to import the same.

They said the restrictions would have a brief impact as the items imported from Bangladesh were also largely available in India.

The export and import trade activity through ICPs and LCSs in Tripura, which shares an 856 km boundary with Bangladesh, has been taking place for the past decades.

Fish, cooking oil and crushed stones were imported through Agartala and other land ports on Tuesday as they were not barred by the DGFT.