Import and export activities at Nakugaon Land Port in Nalitabari, Sherpur, have remained suspended for nearly a month after heavy rain, flash floods and landslides damaged key roads in India’s Meghalaya state, disrupting the supply of imported stone and coal to Bangladesh.
The prolonged suspension has left thousands of port workers without work, caused financial losses for traders, reduced government revenue and pushed up stone prices, forcing construction contractors and businesses to pay more for supplies.
Several sections of the Dalu–Mahendraganj–Garobadha–Tura and Dalu–Tura roads in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills and South Garo Hills districts were recently damaged by landslides and flash floods. With traffic suspended on parts of the routes, stone- and coal-laden trucks have been unable to reach Nakugaon Land Port.
Port workers Tofazzal Hossain, Najma Begum and Dalim Mia said the month-long suspension had left them without income, forcing them to borrow money, struggle with household expenses and fall behind on debts. They said their livelihoods depended on loading, unloading and stone-breaking work at the port and urged a quick resumption of imports.
Business person Sharifur Rahman and Hashem Ali said the suspension had paralysed commercial activities at the port, affecting traders, workers and government revenue. They warned that losses would increase if the disruption continued.
President of the Nakugaon Land Port Importers and Exporters Association Mostafizur Rahman Mukul said businesses had suffered major losses during the month-long suspension. He said road repairs could be completed within a week if there was no fresh heavy rain or flash flooding, allowing imports to resume.
Nakugaon Land Port Assistant Director Jahidul Islam said damaged roads on the Indian side had prevented stone- and coal-laden trucks from entering the port. However, a Bhutanese stone truck reached the port three days earlier through an alternative route, and normal traffic was expected to resume once repairs were completed.
The supply disruption has also affected the domestic stone market.
Jewel Mia, a businessman from Jamalpur who came to Nakugaon to buy stone, said reduced imports had increased prices by Tk5 to Tk7 per cubic foot, raising costs in the construction sector.
Shafiqul Islam, a businessman and construction contractor, said three- to four-inch stone was now selling at Tk162 per cubic foot, up from Tk155 a few weeks earlier. He said prices could rise further until imports returned to normal.
Businesspeople said they were now sourcing stone from Kamalpur Land Port and other ports at higher prices, while stockpiling by some traders had further increased costs. Although no construction project had yet been suspended because of the shortage, contractors were facing difficulties in securing supplies.
Although 21 products are approved for import through the port, only stone is currently imported regularly, with coal imported occasionally. During the 2025–26 fiscal year, 194,614 tonnes of stone have been imported through the port. The Customs Department collected Tk7,34,91,791 in revenue, while the Bangladesh Land Port Authority realised Tk3,55,87,168 in tariffs.
