Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, has announced the permanent closure of three land ports—Chilahati (Nilphamari), Daulatganj (Chuadanga), and Tegamukh (Rangamati)—and the suspension of operations at Balla (Habiganj). This decision was based on findings that these ports had no trade activity and inadequate infrastructure, making them economically unviable and a burden on taxpayers
Infrastructure gaps contributed to unprofitability
A shipping ministry committee had assessed eight land ports and deemed these four in particular as unprofitable due to poor or non-existent infrastructure. For example, Tegamukh lacked road connectivity and customs facilities, while Balla suffered from incomplete infrastructure on the Indian side, making cross-border operations impractical
Political motivations overshadowed trade viability
Chief Adviser Yunus’s press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, acknowledged that earlier approvals for these ports were often influenced by political considerations rather than actual trade needs. The current move seeks to reverse that trend and prioritize resource efficiency
Broader impact on regional trade dynamics
These closures reflect a strategic shift towards optimizing border infrastructure in the face of limited trade throughput. With 24 government-run land ports in place and several now classified as inactive, Bangladesh appears to be streamlining its border strategy toward more functional and economically sound ports
