Bangladeshi shoppers' Eid spending in India

Many people these days go to neighbouring India for their Eid shopping as they get quality goods at a very good price there. The Bangladeshi shoppers mainly visit Kolkata for shopping and the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh has made tourist visa easier for Bangladeshis so that they can buy goods from India during the time of festival. It has been estimated that over 150,000 people every year travel to India for shopping and the number is increasing. Before the Eid festival, we also see the Bangladeshi tourists overflowing the Kolkata hotels. There is a restriction on the bulk of goods a tourist can bring duty-free, but the rules are being violated by the unscrupulous customs officials. They often let go of a tourist who brings much more goods than the restricted limit. I think the government must protect the local businessmen and specify the limit as to how much a tourist can bring from abroad so that local businessmen are not harmed. Otherwise, we may see that more and more people are going out of the country for shopping. It is high time we put the existing customs law in practice and save the local retail market.

Abdul Hannan

Bonosree Dhaka