Freight movements between Bangladesh and India will pause from 17 October until the morning of 25 October, while passenger crossings and limited port activity continue.
Trade through the Benapole-Petrapole land crossing will halt for eight days from 17 October, as holiday calendars in India and Bangladesh overlap during Durga Puja, with normal cargo movements expected to resume on the morning of 25 October, according to reports from Maritime Gateway, The Daily Star and TBS News. Petrapole on the Indian side is due to suspend cargo handling from 17 to 21 October, while Benapole in Bangladesh will close its import-export operations from 20 to 24 October, creating a longer interruption for freight than either country’s individual holiday period alone.
Bangladeshi port officials have said the arrangement will not amount to a complete shutdown of the crossing. Ruhul Amin, the acting director of Benapole Land Port, said limited activity will continue on 18 and 19 October, when loading, unloading, cargo clearance and customs assessment are expected to operate. Indian drivers will also be allowed to return with empty trucks after unloading, preserving a narrow channel for the movement of vehicles already inside the port complex.
Passenger traffic, by contrast, will remain open throughout the period. Benapole Immigration Police have said passport-holding travellers will be able to cross as usual, and security has been tightened in anticipation of heavier festival travel. That distinction between cargo and passenger movement is typical at one of South Asia’s busiest border gateways, where the land crossing serves not only freight carriers but also people travelling for work, business and medical care.
The scale of the port underlines why even a temporary suspension matters. Benapole says about 300 to 350 truckloads arrive from India each day, while roughly 100 trucks move in the opposite direction. The route handles industrial raw materials as well as finished goods, and disruptions can quickly ripple through supply chains. Trade figures from India’s Land Ports Authority show business through Petrapole reached ₹36,633.79 crore in 2024-25, up from ₹30,420.92 crore in 2023-24, alongside 154,192 cargo movements and 145,280 movements respectively.
There are also signs that traders are likely to prepare in advance. Telegraph India reported that some general cargo, particularly non-perishable goods, may be held back during the closure period, while perishable items and passengers continue to move. That would be consistent with past holiday interruptions at the crossing, including a one-day suspension in August for Eid-e-Miladunnabi, when immigration stayed open and empty trucks were permitted to return after unloading. The coming pause, however, is longer and is set to test how well businesses on both sides can manage inventories ahead of the reopening.
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