Chattogram Port and Chattogram Custom House are continuing their operations during Durga Puja holidays to ensure uninterrupted import-export trade, with officials maintaining essential services and deploying adequate manpower.
The government holidays for Durga Puja began on Tuesday and will continue until Thursday. Including the subsequent Friday and Saturday, the holiday period extends to five consecutive days.
Sharif Mohammad Al Amin, spokesperson and assistant commissioner of Chattogram Custom House, told TIMES that customs clearance activities are continuing throughout the holidays, with around one-third of the regular workforce on duty under a government directive.
Around 7,000 bills of entry covering import and export consignments have been submitted to the house, including 5,000 for export shipments and 2,000 for imports.
Syed Refayet Hamim, spokesperson and secretary of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA), said the port was maintaining full operational activities during the holidays. The authority’s director (Traffic) has issued a formal notice regarding the arrangements.
According to port data, between 3,000 and 4,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of imported containerised cargo are delivered from the port daily. In the past 24 hours leading up to 8:00am on Tuesday, a total of 3,706 TEUs were delivered. The port yards held 39,042 TEUs of containers as of that date.
A CPA notice states that cargo handling for vessels and lighter vessels may continue during holidays, subject to approval from the Customs Department and the port authority and payment of applicable additional charges.
For the smooth handling of food supplies, relief materials and other urgent commercial consignments, the director (traffic) or the designated officer-in-charge must be informed in advance.
The authorities have also arranged for sufficient personnel to remain on duty in relevant departments to maintain operational continuity.
To facilitate trade-related transactions, bank branches and booths inside the port premises, including those operated by Janata Bank, One Bank and other banks authorised by the CPA, have been requested to remain open with adequate staff. The Sonali Bank branch at Customs House and private inland container depots have also been asked to maintain their services during the holiday period.
