38 Bangladeshis returned from India through Hili land port so far

Thirty-eight Bangladeshis, who were stranded in India following the surge of coronavirus infection in the neighbouring country, have returned home so far through Hili land port in Dinajpur's Hakimpur upazila.

The immigration services of Hili land port reopened on May 16 after the government decided to resume the services on May 12.

Sikandar Ali, officer-in-charge of immigration at the land port, said 38 Bangladesh nationals from different districts came back till 3:00pm today, our Dinajpur correspondent reports.

The returnees must remain in 14-day quarantine at different hotels in the upazila at their own cost. The authorities already arranged accommodation for at least 60 returnees.  

If the number of returnees exceeds, there is additional arrangement in nearby upazilas of the district, including Birampur, Ghoraghat, and Joypurhat, the OC said.

All kinds of services, including immigration, of Hili land port, were suspended on March 23 last year as Covid-19 outbreak began in the country.

All the returnees must obtain NOC from the Deputy High Commissioner office in Kolkata, said the immigration officials.

Mohammad Nur-e Alam, Upazila Nirbahi Officer in Hakimpur of Dinajpur, said if any of the returnees test positive for Covid-19, he/she will be sent to Hakimpur Upazila Health Complex isolation ward.