Although the National Board of Revenue (NBR) resumed regular operations yesterday after nearly two weeks of protests and work abstentions, ship and container congestion has once again gripped the Chattogram Port, triggering concern among businesses over potential delays in cargo handling and increased logistics costs.
At least 52 garment factories, both small and large, have closed in the past six months in Chattogram thanks to a 25 percent drop in work orders amid political instability, according to Industrial Police sources.
For the past two weeks, residents of Chattogram have been grappling with an acute crisis of drinkable water as rising salinity levels in the supply have made it virtually undrinkable.
The popularity of watermelon cultivation has been steadily on the rise in the Chattogram region.
The Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited (KGDCL) has announced plans to disconnect gas connections of consumers who have not yet installed prepaid meters despite applying for those.
Marine fish catches from the Bay of Bengal have been falling consistently over the past two years, raising concerns as sea fish provide roughly 13 percent of the country’s total annual protein production.
The Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) says it cannot encash deposits worth nearly Tk 1,700 crore held with seven private banks, which the government agency blames for causing delays to its development projects and disrupting regular operations.
Despite a decision by the interim government to hike soybean oil prices nearly three weeks back, many kitchen markets across Bangladesh, including the capital Dhaka, are missing an adequate supply of the key cooking ingredient.
Chattogram, the financial capital with significant potential for the real estate business, has seen continuous innovation in housing projects, with developers focusing on customer needs and preferences.
The interim government has reduced taxes and duties on soybean and palm oil to lower prices amid high inflation but this has not helped raise imports. Instead, there is a shortage of bottled edible oil in the markets.
Diesel supply in eight districts of Rangpur has been hampered due to the refusal of loco masters to work overtime and non-arrival of a scheduled consignment through the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline from across the border.
Bangladesh is set to reach a milestone in fuel transport with the commissioning of the 250-kilometre Chattogram-Dhaka diesel pipeline in the middle of December.
An inability to open letters of credit (LCs) since the political changeover on August 5 has resulted in the closure of at least seven enterprises owned by the S Alam Group, including its sugar and edible oil refineries and steel factory.
Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation has paid all its dues to foreign suppliers in just two months with the help of seven private banks.
Two tankers caught fire during ship-to-ship transfer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at the anchorage off Kutubdia, Chattogram, early yesterday, in the third incident of vessels catching fire in two weeks.
Four out of five government-owned urea factories have stopped production due to an acute gas crisis, raising concerns over the availability of enough fertiliser during the ongoing Aman paddy cultivation season and the upcoming Boro paddy season.
Global hikes in tyre and tube-making raw materials rates and a factory rampage at local key manufacturer Gazi Tyres have caused a shortage and price hikes for the auto item used in lightweight two- and three-wheelers like motorbikes and auto-rickshaws.
