Umpteen Indian and Sri Lankan nationals allegedly work in Bangladesh's shipping industry without work permit and unlawfully take out thousands of dollars, while the country faces foreign-exchange crunch.
Because of unauthorized engagement of foreigners in jobs in Bangladesh, local efficient and trained people remain unemployed, sources said, which invites court orders.
A bench of the High Court recently asked the authorities concerned to form a body to determine the number of foreigners, especially Indians and Sri Lankans, working in Bangladesh sans work permit.
The order was given after Abdul Quddus Tarafder, an advocate of the Supreme Court, filed a writ petition wherein he alleged that some foreign shipping companies and their local agents are "unlawfully" taking away some $400 million annually under cover of various surcharges.
They charge the local importers in various categories, like import-documentation fee, export-documentation fee, export late BL pickup fee, export-seal fee, export BL- surrender fee, BL-amendment fee, late shipment-instruction fee, and maintenance-and repair fee, among others.
The foreign shipping companies take away the money in violation of the relevant provision of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, he alleged.
Mr Tarafder alleged in the petition that on September 19 this year he wrote a letter to the shipping secretary to form a committee to determine the number of unauthorised foreign workers, mainly Indian and Sri Lankan, working in Bangladesh without work permit taken from the government.
However, the shipping ministry did not take steps to form a committee.
After hearing his petition, the High Court issued a rule asking the shipping secretary to form a committee to determine the number of unauthorised workers and take necessary actions against them.
Moreover, the High Court bench also asked the respondent to replace the illegal foreign workers with efficient unemployed Bangladeshi manpower.
Contacted, Mr Tarafder told the FE Wednesday that so far he did not hear anything about the formation of committee.
However, a shipping ministry official told the FE writer that they had received the High Court orders and would act accordingly.
Syed Mohammad Arif, chairman, Bangladesh Shipping Agents' Association, acknowledges the presence of a good number of foreigners in the country's shipping industry many of who have no work permit.
"Not all of them are working with requisite permission," he told this reporter. The government can take action against those who are working here illegally, he said.
The presence of illegal foreign workers in Bangladeshi factories was widely discussed in the past but no effective measures from the government were seen to force them quit.
syful-islam@outlook.com